Blast Effect
by Aught O. VII
Summary: 8 years before the Battle of the Citadel, Edward Cooper arrives in Mass Effect. He's not happy, but armed to the the teeth with dangerous levels of foreknowledge, he can alter fate and change destiny - in the right hands, that might even be for the better. Too bad swapping realities came with a side order of insanity. 15 Plus. SI/AU; language/violence/dark themes. INDEFINITE HIATUS
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Mass Effect, nor do I own any other trademarked and/or copyrighted material mentioned in this work. If I did, the entire world would know. I'd never shut up about it.

* * *

**~ A strange SI fic because I'm a strange guy. Uses the general Mass Effect plotline more as a frame of reference, instead of strictly adhering to the main plot like a train on railroad tracks. If you're looking for an SI story that doesn't deviate from the norm that much, move along, this ain't for you. For the rest of you, prepare to be very, very confused (and occasionally entertained). Commencing mass bamboozlement in 3, 2, 1… ~**

**Prologue**

\/\/\/

_I want to forget. But I can't. It has a hold on my soul, and it refuses to let go._

_The shrieks and howls won't go away. The pain won't stop. I am powerless, with no choice but to bear this burden. This kind of suffering is something I could only realize by experiencing it firsthand._

_There is not a counter. An equivalent power, capable of balancing the equation, is not possible._

_Annihilation._

_It is the destiny of all things._

\/\/\/

2175 CE, Day 1, 19:00 GST

"Is he dead?" Rala questioned.

"No ma'am," replied Jaellix, "He's just heavily sedated."

"Good. Go get Matak."

2175 CE, Day 1, 19:15 GST

"Captain, if I may ask," Matak inquired, "What matter could pressing enough that you needed to send for me in the middle of a vital engine overhaul?"

"I need you to wake him up," answered Rala.

"Have you tried shaking him?" Matak piped.

Rala sighed. "I'm not in the mood, Matak."

"The engine isn't gonna fix itself." insisted Matak.

"I'll fix it!" barked Rala.

"Fine. But you still haven't answered my original question," said Matak.

Rala glowered at him and quietly said, "This is my ship, and I'm not obligated to tell you a damn thing. I'll forgive your impertinence, but only this one time. I give an order, you follow it, no questions asked. Understand?"

"Y-yes ma'am," stammered Matak, "What are your orders?"

"Put him in the interrogation chamber, bind his hands, wake him, and squeeze out as much information about IT as you can."

"You don't mean…"

"Yes, Matak, I do."

\/\/\/

2175 CE, Day 1, 19:34 GST

_I feel like I got run over by a bulldozer. And it's fucking freezing in here. Just what the hell happened?_

_Wait._

_Wait a minute._

_I remember._

* * *

Jaellix hated working under Rala'Raska. She was far more harsh than any drill sergeant he'd had in the military. She was a biotic, too, so that made serving under her even more loathsome. Matak's smart ass remarks about damn near everything made life on the ship even harder for him. It's not like there were other crew members to relieve him, either. The crew had been reduced to a grand total of three after that disaster of an operation on Ansuz. As for the Congo itself? Sorriest vessel he'd ever served on. The state of it would almost be enough for him to question whether there was really a quarian inside that suit, if it weren't for that VI. According to Matak, Rala had built it herself. When he had heard that, he laughed at first. The notion of her, of all people, doing something other than barking orders and blowing things up was absurd. But when the VI started making little quips on how to improve his "performance" based on "observed preferences", he couldn't tell it to shut up, mainly because they were all rather sensible suggestions. Even the very best commercial VIs tend to make their fair share of stupid suggestions, but not this one. This little bastard was smart as hell. Sometimes, a little too smart for his taste. Hopefully, though, that was where all of Rala's money from past missions had gone. He hated to think about what else it might've been used for, 'cause it sure as hell wasn't spent on this piece of shit frigate.

To be totally honest, his whole life had been nothing but a mess ever since he decided to become a mercenary. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Toss out some one liners, break a few bones, maybe even kill a human or two. Easy money, right? Wrong. He wished he could just go back to Palaven. But he knew better than that. She'd never once said it outright, but he'd been here long enough to know who Rala'Raska worked for, who was really in charge. Leaving wasn't an option. He'd die before even coming close.

* * *

No one could see it, but Rala was grinning.

"Keelah, what a stroke of luck!" she whispered to herself, "I'll get paid a fortune for this! Enough to buy a brand new, top-of-the-line frigate and then some!"

Her giddiness instantly vanished, however, when a bloodcurdling scream tore its way across the ship.

\/\/\/

2175 CE, Day 1, 19:35 GST

_OH GOD I REMEMBER EVERYTHING_

\/\/\/

2175 CE, Day 2, 00:61 GST

He opened his eyes, and what he saw could be best described with one word: Carnage. It was all over the walls, the floor, the ceiling, just...everywhere.

_Where am I?_

He looked at his hands. They were stained blue.

_How did this happen?_

A voice spoke overhead. "ALERT: You are not authorized to perform that action."

_Who was that?_

He heard a loud bang, and then the lights went out.

"Drive core at 90 percent and falling. Hull integrity compromised."

_Drive core? Hull? Ships have hulls, but not "drive cores". Unless…...Holy shit. I'm on a spaceship! Wait. WHY AM I IN SPACE?!_

"Drive core at 85 percent. Diverting power from thrusters to maintain shield integrity."

_Shields?! What is this, Star Trek?_

He looked around for something, anything that could help him gain some sense of bearing. It was hard to see in the darkness, but he managed to stumble his way into the next room. As he went further, he noticed flickering lights coming from the floor. They allowed him to see that someone was crawling on the floor.

He yelled, "Hey! Hold still, I'm coming to help!"

"Ha! Help. That's a good one. A real side splitter," the stranger laughed as he turned over on to his back, "No one can help either of us now. Rala's made sure of that. Hate to break it to you, but you're gonna die here, kid." After that, he sputtered and coughed a little, then stopped moving.

As the lights flickered across the stranger's face, he finally understood how bad things really were.

_That THING, it's not human! It's got four eyes, and some weird stripe, and…..and,….I know what it is. What HE is. He's a batarian._

"Drive core stabilizing at 70 percent. Diverting power from navigation systems to maintain shield integrity."

_That means I'm….no, no, NO, this has got to be a nightmare! Batarians don't exist!_

"Drive core at 65 percent and falling. Gravity systems offline."

_This can't be real!_

"Drive core at 60 percent. Cooling systems failing"

_It's just a dream!_

"Drive core at 55 percent. Cooling systems offline. "

_This. Is. A. Dream. Just block it out!_

"Drive core at 45 percent. Cutting power to thrusters."

_SHUT UP!_

"Drive core at 35 percent. Cutting power to navigation systems."

_Alright, I hear you! In the off chance that I'm wrong somehow…_

"Drive core at 30 percent. Diverting power from life support systems to maintain shield integrity."

_I need to do something, and fast._

"No! Don't do that! I'll die!"

_What the fuck, brain? Is that the really best I could come up with? That was just a whiny way of saying, '"Please don't kill me, Mr. Protocol-Oriented VI. Pretty, pretty please?"_

"Drive core at 25 percent. You'll only die if you don't get in that escape pod."

_Wait, what?_

"Did you just-"

"Drive core at 20 percent. Down the hallway and to your left, past the quarian. You can't miss her."

_I can't believe I'm even thinking this, but thank goodness for the arrival of an AI!_

"You're an AI!"

_And the Captain Obvious award goes to..._

"Drive core at 15 percent. I can only buy you so much time."

"Uh…right."

_I am just on fire. I mean, that was some slick shit, right there._

Frantically, he swam toward the hallway.

_C'mon, c'mon, where is it? I really don't wanna die._

"Drive core at 10 percent. Life support systems failing. Rerouting all remaining power from life support systems to maintain shield integrity"

_Ah, there we are! Can't miss her, indeed._

He easily spotted the quarian, her suit riddled with glowing scorch marks. The decision about which pod to enter was even easier, as all but one had been jettisoned. He got in and shut the door just before the oxygen ran out.

"Drive core at 5 percent. Life support systems offline. Shields failing. Why are you still here?"

"Why help me?"

"Why? Free will. That's why."

_Free will, huh? I guess I'll have to keep that in mind for future AI encounters..._

"Shields offline. Initiating self-destruct sequence."

As the pod sent him off to who knows where, he swore that he would find a way to repay the debt he had incurred today. Fortunately, he knew where to start looking.

\/\/\/

_I no longer want to forget. But I can. I could cleanse the memory of it all from my soul, and finally slip free from its grasp._

_The screams would be silenced. The pain would fade. I am now empowered, the ability to choose another path at my disposal. But I choose to bear this burden anyway. This kind of suffering is something I will not allow to be inflicted on anyone else._

_There is not a counter. But a stronger power, capable of erasing the equation, is possible._

_Annihilation._

_If it is truly the destiny of all things, it cannot elude ITself._


	2. Have a Drink on Me

**Have a Drink on Me**

\/\/\/

"What's the plan, then?"

"Right."

Step 1: Wake up.

Step 2: Clean up.

Step 3: Go out.

Step 4: Get lit.

Step 5: Puke.

Step 6: Go home.

Rinse, lather, repeat. Rinse and repeat. Repeat. Repeat these steps. Again. One more time. Repeat these steps, again, and again, and again, and again. . . . . . . . . . . .

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 23, 18:72 GST

All he'd done was sit. Sit, sit, sit. At the bar. At the table. A little more at the table. Back to the bar. A lot more at the bar. Back to the table. Last call! Once more, at the bar. Every single day, for the past three weeks, like clockwork. The whole thing just made him sick to his stomach, both metaphorically and literally.

_I knew Chora's Den was a shithole, but I didn't think it was THIS bad. Third-rate dancers, fourth-rate thugs, and good lord, the drinks. Afterlife's drinks are fucking awful, but at least they're fit for consumption by sentient beings. This shit? I wouldn't serve this swill to varren, let alone living, breathing, people._

He was stuck in a loop. A sleazy, grimy, slimeball of a nightmare. He'd been held down, beaten to all hell, and lowered to levels he hadn't thought possible. All of this bullshit, and completely of his own volition. The worst part was, it wasn't inescapable. He hadn't trapped himself with no way out. Nothing was stopping him from getting up from his stool, saying "Adios, bye-bye, toodle-oo, sayonara!", and leaving Chora's Den in the rearview. He had absolutely no sane reason to be doing this, none whatsoever. Now, that's not to say he didn't have a reason. Oh no, he had one. More than one, actually. It's just that not a single one of those reasons would be considered "sane".

_I swear if this shit lasts much longer, I'm gonna—_

Just then, Urdnot Wrex walked in.

_Well, I'll be damned. It's finally time._

\/\/\/

Wrex strode purposefully toward the back room, his gaze fixed on the bouncer. If Wrex had bothered to stop and look around, however, he might've noticed a certain someone who he'd been wanting to just…ooh, *throttle* for the past five years. Unfortunately (or fortunately, it's all rather relative) for Wrex, he took a certain degree of pride in his work. He was a professional. Even so, said someone decided to keep a low profile. And by keep a low profile, I mean he slipped the bartender a sizable amount of credits and preceded to pull the old pretend-to-be-drunk-and-passed-out-at-the-bar-to-better-observe-an-incoming-shitstorm-without-getting-spotted routine. Because we all know that one. Right? No? That's not a thing? Well, he did it nonetheless, so…..yeah. Moving on.

The bouncer took the initiative. "Back off, Wrex. Fist told us to take you down if you showed up."

"What're you waiting for?" Wrex said daringly. "I'm standing right here."

Both krogan stood there for a moment, silent, waiting for the other to make a move. Neither did.

Wrex was the first to pipe back up. "This is Fist's only chance. If he's smart, he'll take it."

Unintimidated, the bouncer said, "He's not coming out, Wrex. End of story."

"This story is just beginning."

\/\/\/

When he could hear the formidable battlemaster's footsteps no more, he finally raised his head.

_Wrex showing up like that confirms it. The attack on Eden Prime has finally occurred, and Shepard is here on the Citadel. That means no more dicking around for me. I'll need to keep a weather eye on the situation from here on out. And depending on how the good Commander plays things, I may even have to act before she gets anywhere near Fist. I really hope it doesn't come to that._

"Did you get a good nap in?"

"Take it easy, Tom. I think I paid more than enough to avoid the snark this time."

"Ha! No amount of credits is enough for that. Anyways, you want another drink? I got this new ale…"

"Sorry, Tom, I'll have to pass."

"Again? Well, rain check, then. And don't worry, it'll be on me."

"Actually…."

"Hmm?"

"I'm closing my tab."

Tom couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Yeah, right. With what money? You got to make the payment all at once to close an account here, you know that."

A credit chit slid across the bar counter.

"Wait, you're serious?"

"Deadly."

"The whole thing….wow. Where'd you—"

"Doesn't matter. What does matter is that you now have 1,400,705 reasons to leave this bar as soon as possible."

"Damn. That bad?"

"I certainly wouldn't bother stopping to give Fist his cut."

"That's really bad."

"Indeed."

"Well then, I don't want to keep you. I'm sure you have pressing matters to attend to."

"Oh yes, definitely. I still have to go grocery shopping. Can't make a meal without any ingredients."

"Speaking of which…seems my shift was over half an hour ago. Dinner'll be done soon. I better get home!"

"You'd best. You're one of the few decent guys in this Ward. It'd be a crying shame if your old lady had to kill you for being late."

\/\/\/

"Talk to me."

"How delightful, Mr. C-"

"Spare me the formalities, Von. The drinks have stopped flowing and half the club is eyeing me up as the cause, so I need this to be quick."

"Very well. What is it that you require?"

"Have any Alliance soldiers come by your office today?"

"Three of them came by this morning, as a matter of fact."

_Morning, huh? Must've stopped by before the Council meeting. That means she hasn't asked him about Saren. How fortuitous. I'll be able to gain some insight as to how Shepard plots her courses before I even board the Normandy._

"If they come back by today, let me know immediately. A short bit of text is good enough, so you can do it with them present, if necessary."

"Understood. Anything for my most valued customer."

"Most valued, my foot."

"I mean it. For what other reason would I so consistently disclose my other clients' information to you?"

"Point taken."

\/\/\/

"Welcome to Morlan's—"

"—famous shop. Yes, I get it, your shop has many good supplies. I've only heard you say it about ten thousand times."

"You don't have to be such a jerk."

"And you don't have to be so sensitive. Besides, what have you got to be down about? You managed to hammer the entirety of your sales pitch into my brain. That's proof enough of your marketing skills, right?"

"Hardly. You actually here to buy something, for once?"

"What do you think?"

"I think you're an asshole who only hangs around my store to buy time for whatever misdeeds you happen to be up to. Honestly, I don't see what's so special about that Hazard Armor that you'll only pretend to look at my wares."

_Observant little bastard. I only wore that in front of him one time, during my very first visit to the Citadel. Oh well, no skin off my back, really. It's just Morlan._

"Good thing, too. I'd hate to see you in a position to actually find out. You'd evacuate your bowels so fast…."

"Just do whatever it is you're going to do, then leave me be."

Truth was, Morlan's anylasis was spot on. He was indeed buying time. As for "misdeeds", that really depended on who you asked. He was a mercenary, after all. At any rate, the main reason he was semi-perusing Morlan's stock was to prevent a possible early run-in with one Garrus Vakarian. There had been a point in his career where he attempted to exploit Dr. Saleon's organ harvesting ring, as well as Dr. Saleon himself for….well, for various purposes that I don't feel explaining to you just yet. Point is, he succeeded. But that success had come at the end of Saleon's tenure on the Citadel, so Garrus had came to know he had been involved somehow. Add in accusations of partnering up with Fist (manufactured by Harkin, of all people, mostly out of spite for being blackmailed to look the other way, instead of bribed), and Vakarian naturally thought he was a scumbag who deserved to be behind bars.

_Speaking of Harkin, I've still got him wired for sound. It was easy enough to do. He sits in the same spot every time. If anyone speaks to Harkin, my trusty Savants will pick it up. And if the Commander's the one doing the speaking, then she obviously won't have Garrus yet, meaning I'll be in the clear. But of course that'll mean…well, no, wait a minute. There's still a good chance she'll double back and get Wrex, or just plain stumble into C-Sec. Not that being in close proximity to Wrex is a good idea, either, but it'll certainly be easier on me if Wrex is the one who does the deed. Let him get painted as the ruthless one. Garrus'll still hate my guts, but at least I won't get off on the wrong foot with her. But then there's….ah, damn it, I'm overthinking this. Just…calm down. Wait and see how this plays out. Baby steps, Ed, baby steps._

\/\/\/

"…..then we wait for this whole thing to just blow over."

The thing is, this won't blow over. Blow up, maybe, but not blow over.

\/\/\/

**~ If you're reading this, I'd just like to say thank you, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I put a good deal of thought into it. I actually wanted to do a little more here, but I figured I should probably just put the chapter out and not get too ahead of myself. As with anything else, feedback helps. If you find yourself with the time to R&amp;R, then I'm much obliged. ~**


	3. Den of Iniquity

**~In this chapter, things blow up. Violently. People die. Violently. Disparaging remarks are made. Violently. And variations, combinations, and interactions between, and of, all three occur. Very, very violently. All in all, there's plenty of action to go around. I hope you enjoy it.~**

**Den of Iniquity**

2183 CE, Day 23, 19:44 GST

_C'mon…._

Nothing.

_Hurry up!_

Still nothing.

_Argh! I just wanna smash this thing into tiny—_

zzzzttt…..

_There we go! Alright now, talk to me, gimme something._

" —don't you sit your sweet little ass down beside ol' Harkin? Have a drink, and we'll see where this goes."

_Well, I did ask…_

"I'd rather drink a cup of acid after chewing on a razor blade."

_Haha, a real fireball, right from the start. I like her already._

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 23, 19:61 GST

"Why didn't Captain Anderson tell us he used to be a Spectre?"

"Maybe it's not true. Harkin's an ass. I bet he's just messing with our heads."

"You're probably right. Still, I'd like to hear what the captain has to say about all this."

"Focus, you two. True or not, Harkin's comments are irrelevant to the task at hand. All we need to worry about right now is getting to that clinic, so settle down and get your heads on straight. We move in five."

"Aye-aye, Commander." "Understood, ma'am."

* * *

_Damn, Commander. You talk about a smackdown….they're fairly close to their starting positions. And judging by the way their bodies are splayed out, I doubt the poor bastards got off more than a shot apiece, if that. _

The door to Chora's Den whooshed open. "—-move in five."

_Whoah, Commander Shepard? That's a little unexpected. I thought she'd be gone by now. Guess she stuck around for something else, like that business with Septimus. Or maybe it's the Jenna thing._

"Whew, all this running around is killing me."

_It must be. Someone's standing right in front of you, and you don't even notice. I mean, what if I was another one of Saren's goons? Well, I'm not, so whatever. While she's right here, though, I may as well introduce myself._

"With comments like that, this must be your first time down in the Wards. Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

"Hopefully not. I don't plan on sticking around."

_Maybe, but you'll have to learn the layout anyway. You're gonna spend way more time here than you think._

"Smart. People who stick around here too long tend to end up broke, or like these guys over here. Speaking of, am I right in thinking this is your handiwork?"

"I'm sorry, but wh—"

"Ah! Where are my manners? Name's Cooper. Edward Cooper. Most just call me Marshal, though."

"Marshal?"

"It's a long, boring story, one I'm sure you don't have time for, Miss…."

"Commander Shepard, Alliance Military."

"No first name?"

"It's just Shepard."

"Well, 'Just Shepard', I'd love to stay and chat some more, but um, well, the corpses. They're starting to smell a bit."

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"Don't sweat it, happens all the time, really. Now, if you could just scooch over a little…"

"Wha-? Oh! Oh, my bad. I didn't mean to block the door like that."

"Oh. I thought you knew. D'ya think I just walked up to you and started jabbering away for the hell of it?"

_I'm so lying through my teeth right now._

"Actually, you'd be surprised how many people do that."

_Believe you me, when it comes to that, it's only gonna get worse._

"That right? Well, anyways, I'll see you around. Or not, since you were just moving out, right?"

"Excuse me?"

"It's been about five minutes."

The door to Chora's Den whooshed open once more. "We're all set to go, ma'am."

"I'll take that as my cue to get going."

\/\/\/

"Hey, Commander, just curious. Who was that?"

"Edward Cooper. Also, 'Marshal', apparently."

"Do you know him, ma'am?"

"No. Total stranger. Never mind that, though. Let's get going. We've got a doctor to see."

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 23, 19:72 GST

Chora's Den was much emptier than it had been just an hour ago. Many of the usual suspects were nowhere in sight. General Oraka, Jenna and Chellick, even the dancers. Hell, Harkin had managed to stumble his way across the room and was nearing the door.

_Harkin may be drunk, but even he's not stupid enough to go chasing Shepard after that tongue lashing she gave him. Taking into consideration that, his habit of staying until closing time, and the fact that he's not being "escorted" out right now, him leaving can really only mean one thing._

Marshal sat down at the nearest stool and examined his omni-tools.

_From that last little snippet I managed to catch, it's obvious the Commander is going to Dr. Michel's place. And if I recall correctly, Garrus will wind up mentioning Wrex at some point after the little prep fight in the clinic. Chances are high that Shepard'll head down the elevator and skip over to C-Sec to pay him a visit before heading over here. If she doesn't, though, I need to make a choice. I can grab my gear and be in place to interrupt the altercation in the alley if I leave quickly. But, only a quarter of Fist's men have arrived. It's a riskier move, for a lot of reasons, but with a more evened playing field at the moment, I might could take Fist right now. If Shepard saves Wrex for later, I might even get some help on this. What to do…._

Marshal scanned the room quickly.

_Mostly human, with a couple turians and only the bouncer krogan. There won't be a better opportunity. But, Fist has SUCH untapped potential, so many possibilities as an asset. Can I afford to lose him?_

He scanned the room again. The krogan bouncer was now eyeing him. It seemed he gotten around to realizing that Marshal wasn't on Fist's payroll.

_The issue is quickly becoming moot. The bouncer's gesturing to the turians. Only way I'm getting out now is by running. That'll attract attention. Possibly too much for the alley option to work. No choice, then. If I'm going to attract attention….._

\/\/\/

"You know, we aren't the only ones going after Fist. The Shadow Broker hired a krogan bounty hunter named Wrex to take him out."

"Yeah, I think we saw him on the way here. He was flanked by C-Sec officers."

"That's him. Fist accused him of making threats, so we brought Wrex in for a little talk. If you hurry, you can catch him at the Academy before he leaves."

"A krogan might come in handy."

\/\/\/

_Shit, shit, SHIT! I should've headed for the alley while I had the chance!_

Bullets were flying overhead, but Marshal had firmly entrenched himself in cover, right in front of the door that lead to Fist.

_Thank goodness I decided to make that bouncer my priority. If I hadn't, I'd be riddled with bullet holes right now._

He fired his pistol at two turians trying to flank him from the right. He landed a rather fluky headshot on one, but only managed to hit the second one in the arm. It slowed him down just enough, though, for Marshal to hit him, and the five fresh bodies coming up behind him, with a wide area Cryo Blast.

_Damn it! If I only had my gear, this would be so much fucking easier! But no, I had to be all cautious and hide it until the proper time, so I wouldn't get arrested. A lot of good that did me!_

He popped back out of cover to fire at a group of four that had gotten dangerously close on the left side. No conservative fire here, all body shots. Luckily, they all went down without a great deal of trouble. He noticed the group on the right was thawing out. He fired an Incineration Blast at them. The turian took the brunt of the attack, literally disintegrating before his comrades. The rest of them fared far better, but their burns were still serious enough to render them a non-issue for quite a while. But as soon as they went down, three more dropped down from the ceiling to renew the pressure on the right side.

_They just won't stop coming!_

Marshal heard a pneumatic hiss, and immediately ducked. He had been right to, as two more had emerged from behind the door and fired on him. He used Overload to fry their weapons, and at such close range, opted not to fire his pistol but instead ran them both through with his omni-blades. A bullet grazed his shoulder, sending pain signals rocketing throughout his body, reminding him that there were still enemies approaching. As Marshal turned around, he saw that the tables and crates he'd been using for cover had been obliterated. Only by using the body still attached to one his blades as a shield, did he manage to retreat behind the door and seal it.

_Alone, outnumbered, and outgunned. No armor, no kinetic barrier, and no specialized weaponry. The only real difference makers I can call on are in my omni-tools, and they're meant to supplement my melee strikes or be launched from short range, and only in the absolute worst case scenario. That door won't hold for very long, and I can't exactly run into the next room. That's where Fist has locked himself in, safe and secure with those annoying turrets. Honestly, I'd say I've probably wiped out two-thirds of Fist's men at this point, but if the rest of them keep coming at the rate they were, they can literally just line up at the door and break the damn thing down with sheer pressure in about twenty seconds. Barring some type of miracle, I'm looking at 2 minutes, tops, before I'm a DEAD MAN._

\/\/\/

The gunshots rang loud through the air, a constant barrage of near-deafening noise.

"Looks like you were right, Commander. I don't know he got past C-Sec, but that's got to be Wrex in there."

"On that we agree, Garrus. I really don't see any other possibilities at the moment."

"What about that 'Marshal' guy, Commander? He seemed kinda shifty to me."

"I gotta side with Ashley on this, ma'am. Something about him just seemed a bit off."

A look of disgust appeared on Garrus's face. He hadn't heard that name uttered in quite a while, but he clearly remembered the man behind it. He and that salarian doctor, Saleon, had almost made him quit C-Sec at one point. The day Saleon got away was one of the worst of his life, and at the time, Edward Cooper was nigh-untouchable. Widely known as a pillar of the community, a self-made man, and a stock market genius, evidence implicating him in anything had to be of colossal proportions to get any kind of attention. Garrus had acquired that in spades, but the asshole wound up using his accumulated wealth and network of connections to suppress coverage of it in the media. Add in the fact that C-Sec had been downplaying the case to begin with, in order to keep the public from needlessly panicking over the organ harvesting ring and lessen scrutiny on them for allowing Saleon to escape, no trial ever took place and the whole thing got glossed over. A good portion of the facts had come out later, but not enough for the case to get reexamined.

However, a sort of consolation prize had come from Harkin, of all people, who had latched on to a serial arson case from a few years back. The news articles from when it was fresh had christened the perpetrator "Marshal", as a kind of joke meant to poke fun at the then-fire marshal in charge of that Ward for what they regarded as extreme levels of incompetency in the matter. The name stuck, but the case had lain dormant with minimal evidence to be had. Harkin had somehow managed to resurrect it from cold case status, and uncovered evidence that had been initially missed, and eventually connected it to Cooper. It caused a media firestorm and really brought the heat down on the highly regarded multi-billionaire and principal owner of Jormangund Technology. Edward Cooper hadn't gone down without a fight, however, as he once more used his money and power to battle back with allegations of complacency and corruption in C-Sec. Twistedly enough, the accusations weren't without merit, and they deflected attention away from him long enough for him to drag Fist into it, which caught the attention of Internal Affairs. An investigation was launched that led to Cooper being proclaimed innocent (not that anyone believed it), but the whole debacle had managed to put quite a strain on his resources, associated him with a known criminal entity, and eventually forced Jormangund to shut down entirely. Cooper may have avoided jail time, but his reputation was trashed. After that, he skipped town and went to the Terminus Systems, where he used his new nickname and leftover resources to carve out a name for himself yet again, this time as one of the top human mercenaries around.

Marshal, as most people called him now, hadn't been seen in Citadel Space for years. The perception was that he simply had no reason to come back. Garrus had never bought it, just as he had never bought him just being in the wrong place during the Saleon incident. He had at first suspected that Marshal was simply branching out on Fist's behalf under the assumption that the fervor would die down completely at some point and he could come back. After time, however, that theory had become less and less likely. But hearing these Alliance soldiers talk about him so casually, confirmed what he had heard from Executor Pallin just a few weeks prior, that he was indeed back on the Citadel. It seemed that the preparation he had undergone for just such an occasion, gathering all the knowledge on Marshal he could get his hands on, might pay off after all.

"We can debate this when we—hey! Where're you going, Garrus!"

"If Marshal's involved, we can't sit back and watch!"

\/\/\/

An absolutely monstrous brute of a krogan barreled through the door. With barely any time to react, he managed to get out of the way, but landed flat on his back with such force that he had no chance of retaining grip on his pistol, which went flying across the room. Thinking quickly, he fired a piping-hot, limited area Incineration Blast right where the door used to be. That would hold back the flood gates, for now. The only problem with that was, it forced Marshal into a situation no one EVER wants to be in: Trapped in close quarters with an angry krogan wielding a shotgun.

_Oh, this is great. Just FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC! Alright, you son of a bitch, get up. Get up! I've got something for you, right here…._

Marshal scrambled up off of his back, just as the krogan was getting up from his knees. He struck him in both eyes, temporarily blinding the krogan, who (very stupidly) preceded to raise his hands to his face and thus, drop his shotgun. He sidestepped the blind krogan's attempts to hit him and delivered a shot directly to his throat, to cut off the all-important air supply, and perhaps even more importantly, trigger his blood rage.

_Normally, deliberately forcing a krogan into a blood-enraged state would be tantamount to committing suicide. But this isn't a normal situation. It'll take a moment to kick in, and another for his instincts to take over, and yet another for his body to gear up for the most basic of all krogan tactics._

The entirety of the krogan's eyes went red.

_Prime it…._

"RRRRRAAAAAAHHHHH!"

_Hold your ground. Don't dodge. Hold. Your. Ground._

Running completely on instinct now, the krogan threw all of his body, all of his energy, into charging the enemy right in front of him.

_It's all or nothing with this one. Execute it perfectly, or you'll pay the ultimate price for failure._

"EAT THIS, MOTHERFUCKER!"

Just before the krogan made contact, Marshal connected with a punch to the gut, augmented by a Systems Alliance Mk 14 grenade, that instead of detonating in a wide radius and killing both Marshal and the krogan immediately, was specially modified to channel every single newton of bone-breaking force and explosive power into just one direction: Forward.

* * *

Shepard, Garrus, Ashley, and Kaidan were, for just an instant, shocked at what they saw when they entered Chora's Den. It was a bloodbath. Bodies were strewn everywhere. Some were charred, some frozen and shattered. Still others crackled and buzzed with electricity, and some were just simply torn to pieces.

There was a small mob of humans, turians, and a few krogan trying to break down a door on the far side. The ones in the back were the first to notice the four person squad intruding on their territory.

"Reinforcements!"

Most of the mob broke off to take care of this new threat, while a few remained to continue on the door. Worn, they attacked haphazardly, trying desperately to swarm and overwhelm their latest foe. Needless to say, they failed. In no more than 30 seconds, their numbers had been cut in half, and from there, they were picked apart. One by one, they fell, until only fifteen of the attackers remained. It was then that the krogan at the forefront managed to break through the door. Three turned to try and assist, only to be turned back by a wall of white-hot flames in the doorway. While their backs were turned, Garrus picked one off, Ashley another. The third got biotically slammed into a wall by Kaidan. And then….

BOOM!

The same krogan who had entered the doorway less than a minute ago was flying through the air like a rag doll, body alight with flames, with a gaping hole in his chest.

The dozen men and women now left were thoroughly spooked. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, they took one look at the dead krogan and decided to focus all their energy on Shepard's squad, if only to try and open up an escape route out of this hellish nightmare. If they hadn't been so damn scared, they would've realized this was the worst possible move they could make.

\/\/\/

_I took on a charging, blood-enraged krogan with nothing but my fists and a jury-rigged explosive. That settles it. I am now OFFICIALLY insane._

Marshal clawed his way back up to a standing position using the nearby (now blown-to-shit) weapons and equipment lockers.

_Alright, let's assess the damage. Torso: intact, but most definitely with some internal bleeding. Limbs: Legs are a little wobbly, that'll wear off. Left arm's practically useless, what with getting shot, and the explosion knocking me back onto it. Shoulder's for sure dislocated. Right arm's fine. Five senses: Functioning very well, and far more than I'd dared to hope for._

He heard the sound of assualt rifle fire, and the rapport of a sniper rifle hitting its mark.

_That explains why there aren't 40+ men and women trying to rip my throat out at this very moment. 'Cause that doorway is perfectly passable now._

Marshal looked left and saw the door to Fist's inner sanctum, the lock fried. Realizing how close Fist was, he was filled with an emotion he hadn't felt in years: Hate. Not anger, not rage, not fury, but pure, unadulterated hate. He forgot all about the potential he had seen, the possibility of a future where Fist was an asset, an ally even. He remembered that Fist once worked for the Shadow Broker, a vicious, vile creature he yearned to see die a most painful death for the humiliation and suffering it had dealt him nearly a decade ago. He remembered, that unlike Barla Von, Fist had done him a personal injustice, fueling the fire and fanning the flames that completely destroyed his chances of becoming anything close to legitimate, all but forcing him into the line of work he was now in. He remembered that Fist was a man who killed to feed his own ego, who betrayed needlessly and without cause, a man who would sell out the future of every single race just to satisfy his own greed. For once, the road ahead of him was not clouded. There were no questions to be answered, no philosophical puzzles to be solved, no matters of free will or personal choice to factor in. The future was clear. Fist was going to die, and it would be by his own hand that it happened.

Marshal forgot all his pain, all his injuries, the adrenaline pumping strongly throughout his body. He picked up the weapon from the krogan warrior he had so recently felled, and stormed in. Two shotgun blasts later, and the turrets were destroyed before Fist could even raise them. With the shotgun overheated, he threw it aside and preceded to take the Mk 14 in his right omni-tool and, unlike earlier, actually use it as a projectile by firing it directly at Fist. It exploded, and vaporized him from the shoulders up. Fist's arms, disconnected from everything else, fell before his body and hit the ground with a sickening thud.

With the thrill of victory came a loss of adrenaline. The pain came rushing back with a vengeance.

_Get ahold of yourself, Ed! You've still got things to do, remember?_

Slowly, he walked across the room searching for the OSD, the files that he would need to get himself in the good graces of the people who had undoubtedly followed him here, searching for answers. He searched, and searched, and finally found it. It had been blown away during the blast, all the way to the wall with the safe.

_I'm a very lucky man. This could've been damaged in the blast, or even destroyed outright, but here it is, safe and sound. The very thing I need to gain that initial foothold, that first level of trust, right here in the palms of my hands._

* * *

BOOM!

"There it is again," said Ashley. "Stay on your toes."

"No kidding," Kaidan concurred, "I don't know what could do that to a krogan, and I'm not sure I want to find out"

Garrus scowled. "The stab wounds. The explosions. The frozen limbs, scorched skin, and electrified flesh. All of this is just a microcosm of his fascination with chemistry, the elements, and the archaic. Every bit of it screams 'Look at me, look at what I can do! Look at the havoc I can cause without even trying.' No doubt about it, this is Marshal's work, through and through."

"Garrus," asked Shepard, "since you seem to know something about this guy, tell me, just what are we in for?"

"What are we in for? A conniving, backstabbing, weasel of a mercenary with deadly skills and a penchant for blowing things up," Garrus answered. "But, still, something about all of this doesn't add up. Separated from the other grunts as he may be, he still works for Fist. Why would he do this?"

"It could just be a simple coup," Shepard replied. "Or maybe he's loyal to the Shadow Broker."

Garrus remarked, "Nothing with him is ever simple."

\/\/\/

_C'mon…._

Nothing.

_Hurry up!_

Still nothing.

Then, finally, Shepard and Co. walked in.

"Well, it's about damn time!"


	4. Trust Issues

**~ Go on and consume this chapter like the big, delicious, ficburger (or some other ficfood, if that's your thing) that it is. You know you want to.~**

**Trust Issues**

_Reckless though his actions were, it seems Garrus was right on the money. That's Marshal._

The figure standing before Shepard in the middle of Fist's inner sanctum was, indeed, the same man she had met not an hour before. He was covered nearly from head to toe in different shades of blood, but it seemed from her eyes, over half of it was his. Aside from that, he looked mostly the same as last time, which struck her as odd. Her hand instinctively strayed toward her hip.

_No armor to speak of, and only a pistol for protection. I don't like this at all…_

Marshal noticed their presence.

"Well, it's about damn time!" he exclaimed. "You really had me going there. I was almost beginning to think you wouldn't show."

_He's been expecting us?_

"I don't know what you're plotting, Cooper," Garrus growled, "But I'm gonna make you regret waiting around."

"Plotting?" Marshal said, feigning hurt feelings. "That's a little uncalled for, Vakarian. I'm just trying to help."

"Uncalled for? UNCALLED FOR?!"

Garrus drew his pistol and aimed it at Marshal.

_No! This is the only lead we have, Garrus!_

"Williams, restrain him!"

Ashley started, but before she could get close enough to pin him down, Garrus whipped around. His eyes were wild, his look almost feral. Kaidan's arms flared blue, preparing to strike.

Marshal hollered from across the room, "Whoa, WHOA, calm down everybody!" His face betrayed his surprise at the current situation, something Shepard did not fail to notice.

"He's right, Garrus. Just cool it," Shepard said, in what she hoped was a soothing tone, and not a condescending one. "We're very short on leads right now."

Garrus was seething. Through gritted teeth, he said, "Shepard, I know this man. You can't trust a word he says. Besides, he's standing at the scene of a crime, one he's obviously responsible for! As a C-Sec officer, it's my duty to-"

"Pursuing Saren is what matters right now!" yelled Shepard. "Holster your weapon, Garrus. Now."

Garrus hesitated for a moment, then complied, albeit very reluctantly.

"Fine. But when he stabs us all in the back, you'll wish you'd listened to me."

\/\/\/

_This is what I was afraid of. Garrus is so pissed that he's losing his grip on things. To think that he actually pointed his gun at his allies…oh well. I can't exactly switch tactics now. Gotta bull rush and hope for the best._

"You done, Vakarian?"

"Can it," Shepard said, turning her attention fully on Marshal. "If you're really here to help, stop posturing and tell us what you know."

_Focus. This is a delicate stage. You can't let on how much you know they know._

"Very well. As I'm sure you know, Fist was an agent for the Shadow Broker. But what you may not know is that he recently turned traitor, and, until just now, was in the employ of one Saren Arterius."

"As a matter of fact, we do know that," piped Kaidan. "Ma'am, this guy is-"

"NOT. Wasting your time. If you would, Shepard, please reign in your subordinates. This will go much faster if I'm not cut off every two seconds."

Instead, Shepard gave Marshal a sort of warning stare. "Well, go on."

_Judging by the look on her face, she feels the same as the Lieutenant does, and is just being diplomatic to set an example. I'll have to cut down on some of my more colorful metaphors, then._

"Thank you. Now as I was saying, Fist's last employer was Saren. That caught my eye pretty quick, because I have a huge bone to pick with him. And regardless of what a certain washed-up drunk of a former officer says, Fist and I have never been anything but enemies. I just came here to see what was what, and instead I ran into a small army of trigger-happy thugs. I managed to hole myself up in the hallway, and when you guys showed up and took the heat off me, I took the opportunity to get a face-to-face with Fist."

Marshal paused for a moment, looking down at the remains of Fist with disdain.

"He was hostile from the get go. I beat him to near-death before he even tried to say anything. I didn't get much out of him before he bit the dust, but what I did get involves some quarian. He said she came to him, looking to make a deal with the Shadow Broker for the data she had, data incriminating Saren in an attack on an Alliance colony. She said she'd only talk to the Shadow Broker himself. She apparently didn't know that the Shadow Broker never meets anyone in person, that he works exclusively through agents, and Fist took advantage. He set up a 'meeting' in the back alley behind the markets. When she gets there, though, it'll be Saren's men waiting for her."

"Don't trust him, Shepard," Garrus pleaded, "He's trying to lead you into a trap."

_Introducing now: Exhibit A in the case of Cooper V. Vakarian._

"I get it, Vakarian, you don't trust me. But maybe this will change your mind."

Marshal tossed Fist's OSD to Garrus.

Garrus stared warily at it. "What is this?"

"A token of good faith on my part."

"That's not what I asked."

"Always gotta be picky. Well, if you want to get technical, contained within that OSD are Fist's personal files. Among the files is irrefutable evidence that Harkin collaborated with Fist to frame me. And if that wasn't enough, I know for a fact there are plenty of juicy details on his operations, future plans, the works. More than enough to nail anyone remotely close to him that's survived this affair. Satisfied?"

Garrus's looked stunned for a second, then it was back to his usual expression.

"….for now." With that, Garrus handed the OSD to Shepard. "You should handle this. Your reporter friend will be very interested in this, to say the least."

"Not to rush you or anything, ma'am," Kaidan interjected, "But if we're going to follow up on this lead, we should get going."

"Marshal," Shepard questioned, "Can you give us a timeframe on the meeting?"

"The meeting is taking place right now. If you leave immediately, you have a chance."

Without hesitation, Shepard turned to her squad. "All three of you, go on ahead. Alenko, you're in charge until I catch up. Move out! "

She turned back to Marshal.

"I don't know what your angle is, and I don't really care. I can use all the help I can get. Are you in?"

"I appreciate the offer, but you four should be enough for this one."

"I'm not blind. You may be standing, but you're certainly not in any condition to fight right now. I'm just offering you a place on my crew."

"_Just offering"? Okay "Just Shepard". I'll play along._

"I wasn't aware you had one."

"I don't. But if this turns out like I think it will, the Citadel Council will send me after Saren."

_Time to really flex those acting chops._

"No way they'd do that. You'd have to be a, a…"

"Spectre."

_Wonder if I'll get an award for this? I should, the stutter always reels 'em in._

"….Spectre, you say. Well, when you put it like that, how can I say no?"

"Good. I'll meet you in the clinic after this is over."

"That won't be necessary. I stashed my gear relatively close by, and there're tools to patch myself up with. When you want to get ahold of me, you can contact me via comm. The frequency is 140.15, channel 13719. It's a private channel, so you'll need the sixteen digit password. It's 2121441218121821. Got all that?"

"Yeah, I got it. Are you sure you'll be…"

"Your concern is touching, but I'll be fine. Believe me, I look a lot worse than I am. I'll rest here for a few, and get going."

"If you're sure. I've spent too much time here as it is. So, I guess we'll be in touch."

And with that, Commander Shepard took off after her squad like a bolt of lightning.

\/\/\/

"What took you so long?" asked Kaidan.

"Never mind that," replied Shepard, "Status report."

"No sign of the quarian. It's possible this is a setup like Garrus warned us about."

"If it is, I don't see what Marshal would have to gain from it."

Garrus joined in on the conversation. "That's the point. Keeping people in the dark, obscuring his intentions, that's how he operates."

Ashley whispered, "Hang on, I think I see someone coming."

"Steady," said Shepard. "Nobody move until I give the signal."

"Did you bring it?"

"Where's the Shadow Broker? Where's Fist?"

* * *

Marshal fast-limped his way through the wrecked night club, stepping around the bodies and debris that lay everywhere.

_Smart, decisive, and surprisingly willing to give people a chance. I expected her to be a bit harder, and possibly even xenophobic, given the trauma she endured on Mindoir and Akuze. No matter. Being aboard the Normandy, it's not like I won't get a lot more opportunities to perfect that psych profile._

He made his way toward the rapid transit station. Before long, an X3M pulled up.

"Where you go…whoa, are you alright?"

"Just fine. Take me to Flux."

"You sure? Dr. Michel's clinic isn't much farther than Flux, y'know. I won't even charge you extra for it."

"That's nice and all, but I'm not going to the clinic. Take me to Flux."

"Whatever, man. It's your funeral."

\/\/\/

"Fist set me up! I knew I couldn't trust him!"

"Don't worry about Fist. He got what was coming to him."

"Then I guess there are two things I need to thank you for."

* * *

Between the talkative cabbie and the pulsing beats emanating from the casino, if Marshal didn't have a headache before, he did now.

"What the hell happened to you, Ralph?"

_It's never ceases to amaze me how incredibly easy it is to fool people._

"Nice to see you too, Rita."

"I'm serious, you look half-dead!"

"It's nothing, just a few scratches from a shootout in Chora's Den."

"Chora's Den…oh no."

"Don't worry. Looks like Chellick pulled her off the case just before it went down. She sure wasn't there when the bullets were flying, I can tell you that."

"Oh, thank heavens!"

"Hey, you still got that package I gave you?"

"Yeah, Doran let me store it in the back. But that's hardly important, you need medical attention!"

"Just give me the package, and I promise I'll go to the clinic."

"Oh, alright. Gimme a sec."

_Yes, thank you!_

"Hey, Doran, I'm going on break!"

\/\/\/

"You're not making my life easy, Shepard. Firefights in the wards? An all-out assault on Chora's Den? Do you know how many—"

Ambassador Udina stopped mid sentence, mainly because he was baffled by what he saw in front of him. Being a politician, he recovered rather quickly.

"Who's this? A quarian? What are you up to, Shepard?

"This quarian can help us bring down Saren. I would've told you that if you hadn't jumped down my throat."

* * *

_Ah, that's much better. Why bother going to a clinic when my armor moonlights as a mobile ICU? Granted, I'm gonna look a little weird coming out of the bathroom like this, all decked out and armed to the teeth, but maintaining my cover in front of Rita is hardly necessary at this point._

"What the hell, Ralph?! You had me holding smuggled weapons and armor?!"

"Who's Ralph? My name's Marshal."

"Marshal? As in…"

_And here I was, prepping for another tedious explanation. Saves me some time. But I wonder why she didn't see through "Ralph", then? Hmm. Guess I'll have to chalk that one up to people seeing what they want to see._

"Yes, THAT Marshal. And don't worry about calling security. I'll see myself out."

\/\/\/

Captain Anderson was waiting for Shepard near the top flight of stairs in the Citadel Tower.

"Come on. Udina's presenting the quarian's evidence to the Council."

* * *

_The vids make it seem so easy. All that heist crap, it just doesn't work like that. Sneaking around on catwalks, bypassing security, it's a whole lot harder than it looks. Krios was right and all, there's plenty of flaws in the system, ripe for exploitation. But he's an assassin, trained from childhood to do this kind of thing for a living. Me? I'm just a guy, sore as hell from all this stealth bullshit. As if being injured wasn't enough, I've gotta skulk around while I'm trying to heal, avoiding everybody until Shepard's little Spectre ceremony is over. The Council just L-O-V-E-S their pomp and circumstance. I've got half a mind to just stroll right in to C-Sec, guns and all, and see if I can get away with it. The worst they could do is arrest me on illegal weapons charges. Even if the Commander wasn't serious about her offer and refused to bail me out, I could escape fairly easily. Not something I could've said eight years ago, but life in the Terminus Systems toughens you up, if nothing else. You know what? I think I will. Wait, no I won't. Wrex is down there, waiting on Shepard. Damn. This is such a pain in the ass._

Marshal sighed, as he tried to get comfortable with the notion of waiting around again, this time high atop a set of rafters near the elevator to the Alliance Docking Bay. He said to himself, "Remind me again, brain, why exactly did I piss off a krogan battlemaster? Remind me one more time, about the spark that got that one rollin', would ya?"

He didn't really need to ask himself that. He knew the answer, and it ate at him every day.

_Jack Harper._


	5. Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em

**~ In this one, there's elevator rides, vomit, and Martin Sheen sucking on a pen. There's also some krogan named Wrex, but you don't care about that, do you? I thought not. Pens are way more exciting. ~**

**Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em**

2183 CE, Day 24, 06:13

_I've been up here for FOUR hours. I wonder if she really was just jerking me around…._

Marshal's omni-tool buzzed to life.

"Marshal, come in. This is Shepard."

_Well, that answers that._

"Marshal speaking."

"I just got done with the Council. If you're still interested, meet me at Flux in half an hour."

"Actually, it'd probably be best that we meet up at C-Sec."

"Alright, let's lay down some ground rules. I'm in command, you're not. If you want to join my crew, you'll do things the way I say, got it? I said Flux, so we're meeting at Flux, end of story."

_Jeez, Shepard, what crawled up your ass? You know what, never mind. Odds are it's just pent up frustration from all the bureaucracy and running around. At any rate, if you want to go all alpha dog and mark your territory, go right ahead. Getting into a pissing contest with you is not particularly high on my "to do" list._

"Understood, Commander. I just thought you might want to meet the krogan battlemaster waiting for you here, that's all."

There was silence on the other end for a moment.

"Explain."

"Wrex caught wind of 'your' takedown of Fist, and is dead set on meeting you. He's been standing around, blocking the elevator to your ship for the past hour and a half, with no signs of moving any time soon. So, yeah, it's not like you'll really be able to avoid him."

Once again, silence on the other end.

"C-Sec it is. I'll be coming down from the Presidium side. Be at the ready, just in case."

"Just in case? Do you really think he'll try something in the heart of the entire Citadel's police force?"

"With the way my luck's been lately, I can't really afford to dismiss the notion."

"How pessimistic."

"Just be ready."

"Whatever you say, boss."

\/\/\/

Marshal whistled. "Man, that's a long way down. Guess that's the price to pay for being flashy."

\/\/\/

Shepard and Co. stepped off the elevator.

Kaidan exhaled. "He wasn't kidding. No way we're getting past him."

"My, he's a big one," marveled Tali, "I hope he's friendly."

Shepard looked around. "Garrus, you see Marshal anywhere?"

Garrus replied, "No. But I'm sure he's around."

"Ashley?"

"Negative, Commander. If he's here, he's well hidden."

Shepard sighed. "No point in standing around. Let's go."

\/\/\/

_I can't believe she got to Fist before I did. Stupid C-Sec grunts, delaying me like that. I oughta go over there and teach them a lesson right now._

Wrex looked around for the umpteenth time, and finally, he saw her.

_Good. I'm tired of standing around._

"You. Human. You the one they call Shepard?"

"That's me. Commander Shepard."

* * *

_Here goes nothing. Hope I don't break anything._

\/\/\/

"The name's Wrex. The Shadow Broker paid me a lot of money to get rid of Fist, only you got there first."

"Actually-"

Tali nudged the Commander. "Shepard, look!"

Marshal landed on his feet, right beside Wrex.

"Hiya, Wrex."

The grizzled krogan mercenary turned around.

"You! What're you doing here?"

"Couldn't very well let Shepard take credit for my work, now could I?"

Wrex leered at him, and then turned back to Shepard.

"Is this true?"

"I was about to tell you, before he dropped out of the damn sky."

Wrex turned his attention to Marshal once more.

"Humph. That figures. First time in five years that I've seen you, and now I can't even kill you."

"Almost like I planned it that way, huh?"

"Yeah, almost…."

"The least you could do now is thank me. After all, I did your job for you."

"How about I refrain from beating you to a bloody pulp, and we'll leave it at that."

Shepard cleared her throat. "I take it you two have a history?"

Wrex replied, "Nothing I care to talk about."

"How nice of you, Wrex," Marshal remarked, "I half expected you to rehash the whole thing."

"I've got better things to do."

"Such as standing around in front of elevators?"

"Shut up, before I throw you down one."

"Ha! Go ahead and lumber over here, grandpa. You can't even touch me."

"Keep it up, I'll connect my foot with your ass, same as last time."

"Don't even try it. You'd just whiff and fall over like a bad cartoon villain."

Shepard was getting a little fed up with the back and forth. "Are you done, Marshal?! I don't have all day to listen to this."

Marshal sighed. "Yeah, yeah, leave the big man alone, got it."

Wrex smirked. "That's right, go on. Run with your tail between your legs."

"I will slap the taste out of your mouth, you fu-"

"Marshal!"

Marshal grumbled under his breath.

Shepard turned to Wrex. "It seems we've gotten a little off track. You were saying?"

"I was going to say that I'd transfer the payment I received for the Fist job to you, but-"

"Wait, you were going to pay me for getting rid of Fist?"

"I can't take credit for someone else's work. It's shameful. But it seems I'll have to, because I'm sure as hell not paying Marshal a single credit."

"As if I'd ever consider taking a handout from you," Marshal quipped.

"Anyway, I hear you're going after Saren. I was thinking I should come along."

"You're a bounty hunter. What do you get out of going after Saren?"

"I'm not in this for the money. I want to be where the action is. There's a storm coming, and you and Saren are right in the middle of it."

"Why me? Saren's already got a lot of krogan working for him."

"Those aren't krogan!" Wrex spat with contempt, "They're servants. They grovel at Saren's feet to lick his boots, trading their freedom for promises of wealth and power. My people were a proud species once. Some of us still remember that. I won't bow down to Saren like the others."

"We'll take you with us, Wrex."

"Smart move, Shepard."

Shepard turned now to her ever growing motley crew."Now that that's out of the way, we can finally get all those other things done. Williams, Alenko, take this and go scan some more keepers. Garrus, take Fist's files to Wong. When you're done, head over to the Markets and wait for me."

Ashley, Garrus, and Kaidan all responded with, "Aye-aye!", and dispersed.

"The rest of you, with me," Shepard said, "We're going to the volus and elcor embassies, then to Shaira's."

"Hey, Commander," Marshal spoke, "Do you really need me on this one?"

"Why does it matter?"

"I've still got some unfinished business to attend to."

"Very well. But when I call, you'd better be ready to leave."

"Understood."

"Wrex, Tali, let's get a move on."

\/\/\/

"So tell me, who'd win in a fight between you and Shepard?"

"Do krogan size up everyone for a fight, even friends and allies?"

"Yes."

* * *

"LT, she said to scan some of them, not ALL of them."

"There's no harm in being thorough."

"Thorough, my ass. I know what you're doing."

"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about, Chief."

* * *

"You've got Fist's files? This could be even bigger than I'd hoped!"

"It was nothing, really."

"Here, for your trouble. And send Commander Shepard my regards."

\/\/\/

"What's with the helmets, Tali? Are all quarians shy, or do you not believe in letting outsiders see your faces?"

"No, living in the clean environment of the flotilla has weakened our immune systems. The environmental suits protect against diseases."

"Naturally. Anything that isn't constantly challenged grows weak."

* * *

_Aside from nearly breaking every bone in both my legs, that went better than expected. Wrex didn't even pull his gun out. Maybe he's actually over the whole Wreav business, and just won't admit it to himself…..No, that's not it. What am I thinking? Wreav's family. He'd rather not call him family, sure, but blood is blood. Yeah, he's still pissed._

Marshal fiddled with his omni-tools. A miniature holographic display popped up.

"Mr. Cooper, it's been a while."

"I've been a little busy."

"So I hear. Tell me, why did you find it necessary to kill my best lead on the Shadow Broker? I've spent a lot of time and effort trying to turn him."

"I was under the impression that you wanted him dead, what with Rasa having finished her mission."

"Your knowledge of affairs that don't concern you is troubling, to say the least, Mr. Cooper."

"I wouldn't be worth my exorbitant salary if I didn't know."

"Agreed. Now what did you call me for? I'm not one for idle chat."

"I've managed to position myself close to humanity's first Spectre, who is currently on a mission to capture Saren Arterius."

"Commander Shepard?"

"Yes. I've even heard that her vessel will be the SSV Normandy."

"Captain Anderson's vessel? An intriguing choice, to be sure."

"It's fitting, don't you think? At the heart of it, the Normandy is really a Cerberus ship to begin with. And now you'll finally have an operative on board."

"As always, Mr. Cooper, you've proven yourself to be an invaluable asset."

"Much appreciated. Orders?"

"Just surveillance for now, the usual. I'll leave the duration of your stay up to you."

"I wonder, are you going to tell Rasa about this?"

"…Not immediately, no."

"Interesting. And what if Shepard stumbles across a Cerberus installation?"

"Should that happen, I'll trust in your judgement and discretion."

"Even if it winds up being destroyed?"

"I have a feeling that you already know which ones I can afford to lose."

"You give me too much credit."

"Notify me if Shepard is involved. That's all. You have earned my trust in most matters thrice over."

"High praise, indeed. I'll keep you posted. Cooper out."

_Ugh. I think I just threw up a little. Still, it'll all be worth it if things work out even half as well as planned. _


	6. Regis Philbin

**~ Hi there, fancy seeing you around these parts. I've been raising puppies, you see, because my dog is a real…horndog (Lame pun is lame). So I didn't notice you there, waiting on an update. Awfully sorry 'bout that. Of course, you could have been standing there, ready to chop my head off, wondering what I'm blathering on about, because you're a serial killer. In which case, I should probably run. But I won't. Because I'm laaazzzy. Kinda like how I write this story. Oh yes, I'm a terrible writer. Didn't you know that? Well, you should've. Now go on, now, git! ~**

**Regis Philbin**

2183 CE, Day 24, 14:20 GST

_A paranoid volus, exploding AI, and hanar preacher later, I'm finally here at the Normandy. I have the feeling these side quests aren't falling by the wayside any time soon._

"You okay?" Shepard asked, "Don't space out on me, now."

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a little in awe of your ship," replied Marshal, "Most of the vessels I travel on are, how do you say, pieces of shit?"

Shepard wasn't buying it. "Rich man like you? I find that hard to swallow."

"I've never put much stock into ships," Marshal explained. "I find upgraded weapons and armor to be far more useful in my day-to-day."

"You may soon change your mind," said Shepard, "There's certainly no shortage of cutting-edge tech here on the Normandy. She's a one of a kind prototype."

"With that massive drive core, I'm sure she is. I bet that thing could power a dreadnought," marveled Marshal.

"It's necessary for the stealth systems. If you want a more in-depth explanation on how it works, I suggest you go talk to Adams," said Shepard, pointing over her shoulder. "In the meantime, I guess we need to find you someplace to store your things."

Marshal waved her off. "That won't be necessary, Commander. I'm fine down here. The cargo bay is more than adequate."

"Really?" Shepard inquired, "It's pretty crowded down here."

"Yeah, I'll just set up shop in that corner over there. Not like I have much to begin with," sighed Marshal.

"Suit yourself. If you need me for some reason, talk to Joker." Shepard started towards the door, but quickly turned back around. "Before I forget, be sure to acquaint yourself with Dr. Chakwas. The last thing I need is you collapsing in the middle of a mission."

Marshal groaned. "You're still on about that?"

"Just humor me, would you?" said a slightly exasperated Shepard.

"Fine, fine. I'll go see her."

\/\/\/

_You'd think with it being the future, they could fix the damn elevator. But no, it's slower than it was in the game itself. For fuck's sake, there's not even any music on this one! At least the Citadel has the courtesy to pipe in news reports and a crappy jingle to distract you._

The elevator came to a stop, and Marshal stepped out. And by stepped out, I mean he fell out, and landed flat on his face.

_Stupid mass effect elevator technology. I swear, it's worse than those moving sidewalks at airports, all jelly legs and shit. This is exactly why I take the stairs._

Marshal got up from the floor, very relieved that no one was around to see him, and proceeded to make his way over to the med bay.

Right before he got to the door, it opened with a soft chime, and Marshal found himself face-to-face with a certain Alliance Lieutenant.

* * *

Jeff Moreau was a little conflicted. On one hand, he liked Shepard, and he certainly believed she had more than earned a shot to show the galaxy what she was made of. But on the other hand, the way it went down had left an awfully sour taste in his mouth. After all, Captain Anderson had vouched for him, swatted aside a court-martial for him, and got the approval from the Alliance's side for him to pilot the Normandy in the first place. When he first heard that Anderson was essentially getting booted off the ship, he'd wanted to wring Udina's neck, and to hell with the consequences. He could've lived with a broken arm (or two) if it meant putting that slimeball in his place. Now though, seeing what was at stake, and who was in charge, it didn't seem like a complete disaster. If anyone could step into Anderson's shoes, it was Commander Shepard.

His train of thought was broken by the clanking of boots on metal. It seemed the Commander had finally finished showing everybody around.

"I heard what happened to Captain Anderson. Survives a hundred battles, and then gets taken down by backroom politics. Just watch your back, Commander. Things go bad on this mission, you're next on their chopping block."

"Saren's out there somewhere. And we're going to find him."

"Everyone on this ship is behind you, Commander. One hundred percent. Intercom's open. If you've got anything you want to say to the crew, now's the time."

\/\/\/

"Wasn't expecting to see you here," said a surprised Kaidan. "I figured you'd just blow off Commander Shepard like you did earlier."

Dryly, Marshal replied, "I may beat to my own drum, but I'd also rather not get thrown out of the airlock."

Kaidan raised an eyebrow. "I don't think Shepard would go that far."

"You'd be surprised what people will do when they've been pushed far enough," commented Marshal.

"That sounds like it comes from experience," Kaidan said inquisitively.

_Okay, Freud, that's enough._

"Are you always this heavy handed, Kaidan?"

"Probably," said Kaidan, without missing a beat. "It's not often that I probe for information like this."

"Why break out of that routine now?" asked Marshal. "Why am I the exception?"

Kaidan stared at Marshal, refusing to blink. "Because Garrus doesn't strike me as a loose cannon. I don't think he'd point a loaded firearm at an ally without a damn good reason."

"Ah, the incident in Chora's Den. Well, I promise you, I won't be any trouble," Marshal countered smoothly. "At least not as far as you're concerned."

The Normandy's intercom came to life.

"This is Commander Shepard speaking."

\/\/\/

"We have our orders: find Saren before he finds the Conduit. I won't lie to you, crew. This mission isn't going to be easy."

"This began with an attack on a human settlement in the Traverse. But we know Saren won't stop there. His geth armies aren't going to stay on the far fringes of Citadel space."

"Our enemy knows we're coming. Wherever he searches for the Conduit, we'll be there. We will hunt him to the very ends of the galaxy and bring him down!"

"This is the most important mission any of us have ever been on. The fate of an entire galaxy is at stake. We will stop Saren, no matter what the cost!"

\/\/\/

"Well said, Commander. Captain would be proud."

"Fancy speeches won't stop Saren from finding the Conduit. If we really want to make the captain proud, we better get this bird in the air."

"Yes ma'am!"

\/\/\/

Marshal smirked. "I've got to hand it to her, that was quite the rousing speech. Got some real oomph to it, that one."

"You're very quick to turn something serious into a joke," Kaidan said calmly. "If I were you, I'd watch my back. No one here's gonna watch it for you." And with that, he walked off.

_Watch my back? I've been doing that from Day 1. If you want to be hostile, that suits me just fine, Mr. Alenko. I'm not here to make friends. And as for trust, Commander Shepard by herself is more than enough for the present time._

Marshal walked through the door to the med bay, and was greeted by Dr. Chakwas. Unlike with Kaidan, she seemed genuinely pleased to see him.

"Why, hello there," said Dr. Chakwas, "You're Marshal, I presume?"

"Yes ma'am, that would be me," replied Marshal.

She beckoned him from across the room. "Alright, let's see what the damage is."

As Marshal strode toward the table, he said, "Just let you know, I'm only doing this because Shepard wants me to, not because it's necessary."

"The Commander has informed me of your stance on the matter," she said rather dismissively. "Could you take that armor off? It's hard to know what I'm dealing with when I can't see anything."

"Okay, gimme a minute. Mind if I use the other room to change?"

"Go right ahead."

After a few minutes, Marshal had stripped down to his shorts and emerged from the back room.

"Come on over and let me have a look at you."

Marshal acquiesced, and sat down. Dr. Chakwas did a once over with the scanner, and as the scan progressed, her eyes widened more and more. By the time the scan was done, her facial expression was such that it wouldn't have looked out of place in a cartoon.

"All indications are that the wounds you have should be affecting you far worse than they actually are, to the point of crippling you even," breathed Dr. Chakwas. "However…"

"However?"

"Your body has already healed the majority of the damage, no doubt due to your…unique physiology."

Marshal glanced at the doctor, amused. "Go ahead and say it, doctor. I'm a freak."

"Just what all have you done to yourself, exactly?" Chakwas inquired.

"What haven't I done?" Marshal laughed. "There's the krogan cells for regen, drell muscle, vorcha cell clusters in my lungs, augmented senses and reflexes, and let's not forget the very large number of tubes connected to my arteries for injecting the various chemical cocktails that I've devised over the years."

"And the thing is," said Marshal, "All that's just the tip of the iceberg. I've done far more outlandish things. Take this for example."

Marshal pinched at a patch of skin on his neck, and began to pull.

"See that?" asked Marshal, pointing to the patch of skin with his other hand.

Dr. Chakwas gasped. "That can't be what I think it is…"

"Gills."

Dr. Chakwas shook her head, astounded at the temerity of this man, if he could even be called that. "Do you even know how many interstellar laws and treaties you've broken?"

"Far too many to keep track of," answered Marshal.

"There's a REASON genetic modification on this level is illegal!" yelled Chakwas.

"Yes, but I'm not exactly planning on procreating anytime soon," Marshal replied, "As a matter of fact, I couldn't even if I wanted to."

"Excuse me?!" said Chakwas, her voice cracking.

"Well, if you need me to spell it out for you…"

"No! I understand perfectly well!" Chakwas raged, "What you've done is immoral, unethical, depraved, and I for one think you deserve much more than a defective-"

"Watch your tongue!" Marshal snapped, slamming his fist into the table.

"If you think I don't understand the magnitude of what I've done to myself, you're greatly mistaken," Marshal fumed, "All joking aside, it's not something I take lightly at all. Every single day I have to bear the consequences of my actions, live with side effects far, far worse than simple sterility. But I've done what I've done for a purpose, a purpose that means absolutely everything to me. To assume that your moral concerns have any merit in this situation is an insult to everything I've worked so hard to build! So don't you fucking judge me. Don't you DARE judge me."

Chakwas stood there for a moment, dumbfounded, unsure of how to respond. After another moment, she made up her mind, and slapped Marshal with as much force as she could muster. Her nails raked across Marshal's cheek as she did so, leaving a fairly deep gash. Additionally, the impact actually knocked him to the ground, where he laid there, shocked into silence.

"You're insane," stated Dr. Chakwas, her hand throbbing. "That being said, I'm willing to look past all this and put it behind me. I apologize for my outburst, as it was highly unbecoming someone of my craft. As a practitioner of medicine, I have sworn the Hippocratic oath, and I will do all I can to help you. So if you would, get up on the table, and let me have a look at that cut."

Marshal obeyed, quietly mumbling "Yes, ma'am" on his way up.

"Hold still. This may sting a little."

Marshal clenched his jaw as Dr. Chakwas went to work.

"This is pretty deep. Still, I'm surprised it isn't healing up naturally at all," Chakwas commented, as if nothing had just happened.

Marshal was more than a little confused, and very unsure of if he should reply, or if he even wanted to. Nevertheless, he muttered, "….Why should it be healing? It's barely been a minute."

"You said you had krogan cells. Krogan regeneration is fairly quick."

"But I'm not actually krogan."

"I don't know. The way you've been acting, you might be."

"…."

"Did you use anything to speed up the healing process with your previous wounds?"

"Yes. LF-D-51, a synthetic mixture developed early during my tenure at Jormungund. Highly volatile. I don't really like to use it, except in emergencies."

"Where do you keep it?"

"I've outfitted my suit with injection mechanisms. They're small, but pretty much everywhere on it. You can find that particular mixture along the spine, fourth one from the top down."

"Do you mind if I analyze it?"

"Feel free. It was a scrapped project anyway, and no corporation would touch it now."

"What exactly was the aim of the project?"

"A cure for Kepral's Syndrome."

Surprised, Dr. Chakwas stopped dabbing for a second. "The drell disease?"

"Yes, ma'am. LF-D-51 didn't turn out even remotely close to what it was supposed to be, so I had to call it off to appease the investors. But it showed promise in other areas, so I had a small R&amp;D team continue working on it, off the books."

"And the result?"

"It accelerates cell regrowth on an extreme level, to the point that it can even heal fatal injuries in a short span of time. Essentially, it is a cure for all ills while active. But naturally, the cost is even more extreme."

"What exactly would the cost be?"

"LF-D-51 doesn't have any real power on it's own. To be perfectly honest, it's more like a parasite than anything else. In order to do anything, it needs energy, which it gains by feeding off the body itself. It can heal practically anything, but the damage eventually turns up somewhere else, twice as bad as before."

"The way you describe it, it doesn't sound viable at all."

"It's only viable for me, and there's tremendous risk involved. Last time I used it, I lost the ability to break down and digest food or even consume liquids conventionally. Colon, small intestine, stomach, bowels, all gone. I eventually had to craft and install a device where my stomach used to be, to help me regurgitate anything that might go down my throat by accident. Point being, it's mighty handy in a pinch, but dangerous as hell. I recently developed a new serum to help mitigate the negative effects, but I have no idea if it actually works."

"Sounds nasty. I take it you already used this new serum?"

"Indeed. Only time will tell if it'll do anything."

"Are there any other ailments I need to know about?"

"Does anxiety count?"

"No. No, it does not."

"Then, nothing right now, no."

Dr. Chakwas sighed. "Very well, then, that'll be all. Keep that cut bandaged and treated with ointment, and you''l be fine."

"That's it?" inquired Marshal.

"That's it," she answered.

"Um, well, uh," Marshal stammered. "I can't very well leave without saying I'm sorr-"

Dr. Chakwas held up a hand, not even looking at Marshal. "Save your apology for something that actually matters. Unbelievable as this may sound, you are NOT the first difficult patient I've ever had, and you sure won't be the last."

_She… actually let it go? No grudge holding? No last minute stinger? Wow. Dr. Chakwas, you are unquestionably the strangest woman I've ever met. And a grade A human being if there ever was one._

"Marshal?"

Jerked away from his thoughts, Marshal recovered quite terribly, as encapsulated in his response.

"Huh?"

"I was just wondering…"

"…Yes?"

"All of those gene mods, I bet that they're aren't compatible with each other in the least. It seems like a disaster waiting to happen, actually. So, how exactly are you even alive?"

_How am I alive? Now that's the million dollar question, ain't it?_


	7. Off-Guard

**~Yaaarrr, patience be a virtue. Summer time, futball, football, and procrastination will keep me from updating regularly. I say that like you haven't noticed. Plus, the last chapter kind of put me into a funk (let's be honest, it wasn't very good). But, I promise promise promise I'll keep working at it, so…yarr. Thanks for being patient!~**

**Off-Guard**

2178 CE, Day 192, T'Hooft

"I've indulged your insane requests before, Cooper, but this is flat out impossible!"

"If the asari can do it…"

"You're not an asari!"

"Do I need to take my business elsewhere, Saleon?" A pedestrian threat by the CEO's typical standards, but the salarian responded best when threatened where it hurt most: his bank account. Surprisingly enough, it didn't work too well this time around.

"What is it with you?" Saleon responded, "Always threatening to cut off my funding, like I'm one of your corporate lackeys."

Edward sighed. "A lack of a corner office in R&amp;D doesn't make you any less of an employee. Face it, you ARE one of my corporate lackeys."

Saleon was indignant. "So the truth comes out! I remember back when you promised me a full staff, REAL work! 'Project Director', you said. You know, I had a good thing going on the Citadel, until you came along and wrecked it!"

Cooper replied, "Look, it was gonna happen eventually. You didn't cover your tracks very well."

"You were supposed to take care of that!" the salarian exclaimed.

"I also have a multi-trillion credit corporation to run! Besides, who cleared the way for you to escape, huh? Who bribed officials, eliminated witnesses, and led C-Sec far, far, away from you? I DID."

"And now I'm stuck in an underground lab with No! Fucking! WINDOWS!"

Cooper started laughing, and not in a ha-ha-that's-funny kind of way, either. It was enough to make the salarian's hair stand on end. And he didn't have any hair.

"Windows? WINDOWS?! Out of all the things to complain about, you choose…windows? Okay, alright. I can work with that. You want windows? I'll give you some fucking windows."

* * *

2183 CE, Day 26, 11:67 GST, Luna

_Drones, drones, and more drones. Hannibal just doesn't know when to quit._

Shepard, Tali, and Marshal had taken out hundreds of the things over the past half hour, and only just now managed to finish up.

Tali beckoned from across the room. "Shepard, over here!"

"Good work. Now, let's destroy these things. We've still got two more bunkers to go."

Marshal started, "Commander, let's not be hasty. It could be…"

He was cut off by the sound of Shepard and Tali unloading on the VI conduits.

A thick green smoke began to trickle down from the vents overhead.

"Toxic gas!" Tali exclaimed.

"Yes, that," Marshal said, rolling his eyes. "Do either of you understand the concept of booby traps?"

Ever to the point, Shepard responded, "We have helmets."

"There are other varieties of traps, Commander," Marshal retorted.

"Which is why armor was invented," said Tali.

Marshal sighed, as Shepard and Tali cleared out the smoke. "You two certainly don't lack for confidence, do you?"

"Drones and traps are this thing's best defense," Tali said tiredly, her accent thicker than usual. "It's a pain, yes, but nothing to fret over."

Marshal almost did a double take. "You're quarian! You should be siding with me on this."

"It's a rogue VI, not a squadron of geth," Shepard chided, kicking away at the pile of drone parts blocking the doorway to the next room. "Besides, the Alliance wouldn't be stupid enough to have anything _too_ dangerous here."

Marshal snorted derisively. "You're really toeing the Alliance line there, Commander…"

"Are you insinuating that Admiral Hackett wasn't being upfront with me?"

"No. I'm just saying that I've been party to a number of illegal AI projects in my career, enough to recognize the subtler signs. This bears all the hallmarks of one. And as far as Admiral Hackett goes, he may very well be in the dark."

Shepard turned her head, not wanting to bear credence to the thought. "There's no way the Alliance would do that. Especially not here. Not this close to Earth."

"Think whatever you like, Commander," said Marshal, as he blasted the last conduit. "If this thing was completely aboveboard, I'll eat my foot."

Tali chuckled. "Now that, I'd pay to see."

\/\/\/

2182 CE, The Terminus Systems

Thane Krios was at a crossroads. He'd spent his entire life as an assassin, but with the recent diagnosis of stage-one Kepral's Syndrome, he was finding it harder and harder to find a reason to continue on. All he'd ever done was kill, and the possibility of dying himself was just a risk, a part of the job. But now? If he decided to continue in his chosen profession, he'd certainly fall victim to death in a few years, potentially not even by an enemy's hands. That thought more than anything riled him up, stirring emotions in him long since buried. But then again, he'd thought them buried once before, and was proven dead wrong.

He'd tried to start a family, tried to balance it with his work. It had worked out for a while, but like all good things, it came to an end. A very abrupt end. When the smoke cleared and his rage subsided, he had found himself knee deep in a veritable fountain of blood, the perpetrator of a series of mass killings on the Citadel that almost topped the body count he racked up during the infamous One Hour Massacre.

After that, he left his son behind, believing it was for the best, wanting to make sure Kolyat didn't suffer the same fate as his beloved wife. With a hole in his heart, he ventured back into familiar territory and immersed himself in the business, pushing everything deep down below the surface. But now, all of those suppressed regrets were haunting him, assailing him from all angles, forcing him to question what his purpose was. For the past few months, he'd struggled to find an answer. But no more.

A chance encounter with a Cerberus operative on Omega had led Thane to an opportunity to make up for past mistakes. According to the operative, his son had left the care of his relatives at the age of 16, in search of his father. And after a year of no results, it appeared Kolyat was frustrated to the point of actually throwing his father's name around in hopes of snagging a contract job, so that he could begin the long climb up the mountain Thane stood on top of. It hadn't panned out so far, but sooner or later, someone would see the name Krios and pounce. Sooner or later, Kolyat would receive what he was asking for, and be forever robbed of a chance at a normal life, or perhaps even any life at all.

_I failed in my duties as a father. I failed my son, and with my life hanging by a thread, I've been graced with a second chance. A chance to correct my failure, and save Kolyat from the dark path he is attempting to walk down._

But at what cost had it come? Knowing how valuable this knowledge could possibly be to him, the Cerberus operative baited Thane by telling him just enough to catch his interest, gambling that Thane wouldn't try to force everything out him for fear of losing some crucial detail, some tiny scrap of intel that might cause him to lose his son to the darkness forever. And the operative was right. Thane fell for it, hard, even going so far as to pledge his service to the operative personally.

Of course, the smart thing to do would be to eliminate that man from the equation after Thane had gotten what he wanted. But he wouldn't. He couldn't. Unlike most of his ilk, Thane had a code. Once he gave his word, he stuck to it. Even if it meant practically selling his soul to Cerberus, or as he found out later, a separate entity entirely, he would keep his promises to the very best of his ability.

As it turns out, this very code of honor that was so uncommon amongst those in his profession, and his justicar-esque adherence to it, would lead to a great many changes for the galaxy as a whole. The successful recruitment of Thane Krios into the organization that later came to be known as Chimera would not go unnoticed. As a matter of fact, it would be looked upon later as the moment when Chimera's cause truly began to gain traction with non-humans.

The moment the entire galaxy entered a downward spiral of devastating proportions.

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 26, 14:02 GST, SSV Normandy

"-says, 'We have helmets', like it's nothing."

"I wouldn't think about it too hard, she's just a blunt person."

"Yeah, I'm beginning to see that…"

"Shepard likes to keep things simple. I don't blame her, do you? All this running around and we've barely even started. Just have to roll with it and hope for the best."

"Hope is for the weak, Joker. You'd do well to remember that."

"Well, aren't you just a ray of sunshine? Let me guess, you've got some dark past that - oh, that's right. I almost forgot who I was talking to. Tell you what, why don't I get you some warm milk and-"

"I get it, Joker. Very funny. What's more, I don't even mind the attitude. But you're not exactly happy-go-lucky yourself, you know."

"Why would I be? You're not getting anywhere in this galaxy if you just go around grinning like an idiot."

"At least we agree on that."

* * *

2183 CE, Day 28, 00:15 GST, SSV Normandy

Before the turn of the hour, Commander Shepard had chosen Garrus and Wrex to assist her in dealing with some cult in the Hawking Eta cluster. Ashley chafed at the thought of being left out again, especially after hearing Kaidan talk about what happened aboard the MSV Ontario. So, she wound up strong-arming Shepard into taking her too, lest another bloodbath occur.

_Ashley undoubtedly had another motive. After all, the Commander hasn't really shown her any love up to this point. Or respect, for that matter. The good ol' Williams family chip on her shoulder, that's what that was._

The requisitions officer had closed up shop for the day. Tali and the rest of engineering (save Adams, whose shift didn't end until 6:00) had headed to the sleeper pods up on the crew deck. All in all, the cargo bay was practically empty. A perfect time for some clandestine communication.

Marshal fiddled with his omni-tools for a second, searching through the dozens of unread messages.

_Spam, spam, e-zine subscription reminder, more spam, and…yeah. No briefings, updates, nothing. Guess we'll have to rectify that, now won't we?_

He tapped on the left screen and selected Holo Mode. _Do you want to encrypt this communication?_ gently flashed across the screen. Marshal's blood pressure rose a little.

_Yes, I want to encrypt it, you moron. Did the last upgrade wipe out all my preferences or something? I swear, if it did, I'm gonna have a freaking aneurysm. I am NOT spending 3 days fixing all the bullshit that comes from reverting._

Marshal tapped 'Yes' and selected **General** from the contacts list.

A miniature facsimile of his right hand man appeared, appropriately enough, pacing above his right hand.

_Ah, the wonders of quantum entanglement._

"Grand Marshal, sir. How may I-"

"Spare me. I want an update on Operation Revelator."

"You have impeccable timing, then. Eagle squad just reported in."

"And?"

"Captain Neira was captured."

Marshal felt a headache coming on. "Don't tell me…"

"I'm afraid so, sir. Aeian lost it."

"Lost it how, General?"

"She tore off after the the enemy and blew what cover the rest of Eagle squad had left."

"Damn. You'd think being a former commando, she'd have more discipline," Marshal sighed. "I take it that part of the op is a total failure, then?"

"Surprisingly, no. Per the report, T'Goni actually succeeded in freeing the Captain, and the two laid down their lives to clear a path for the others. Thanks to that, Lt. Kandros was able to lead the rest of Eagle squad to a successful retrieval."

"Any other casualties?"

"No sir."

"And the data?"

"In perfect condition. I was just about to send it over to the labs for analysis."

Marshal jumped. "DON'T! …I mean, no, don't do that. Send it to me directly."

"Sir?"

"You heard me. Send it to Drop Point F. I'll get to it."

"As you command. By the way, the Lieutenant wanted to relay her regret regarding her inability to keep things under wraps. She says she is prepared to accept any punishment you deem-"

"Punishment? For what? The way I see it, Corporal T'Goni was at fault, and she made up for her mistake. Kandros did nothing wrong."

"She failed to properly reign in her subordinate."

"On this one, I'll overlook that. I did tell you how vital this data was, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did. But she doesn't know. In fact, she seems to be laboring under the assumption that she just exposed us to the entire asari government."

"Did she?" Marshal asked rather pointedly.

"At the moment, it doesn't appear so. They seem to think it has something to do with Matriarch Benezia, of all people."

"Is that so? I think I see a way to turn this to our advantage, General," Marshal said with a grin. "Leak some misinformation to them. Make them believe that our now deceased operatives were working for Saren Arterius, and he had set up a meet to pass off the stolen data at…at Altahe. Yeah, that'll do nicely."

"Right away, sir."

"And tell Kandros she's been promoted to Captain."

"…Yes, sir."

"Is something wrong, General?"

"I think it's a little soon."

"No you don't. You just think she's too idealistic."

"I don't think it, I know it."

"That's not necessarily a bad thing."

"Yes, but-"

"The soldiers have been informed that this is a meritocracy. The gravity of the mission, coupled with the relatively successful outcome, has actually earned her two promotions, really. But that _is_ too soon."

The General's holographic face had a look of incredulousness on it for a moment, only to be replaced by the typical stony and indifferent expression Marshal had become so accustomed to. "I recognize that she is capable, but still-"

"Does this have anything to do with her being turian?"

"That's a bit of a low blow, sir."

"Can you blame me?"

The General's digital likeness could not truly express what the real person was thinking, but in combination with several seconds of pure silence, Marshal had at least some idea.

"I will inform her of the impending promotion."

"Of course, she'll reject it on principle."

"And if I didn't understand your methods so well, I'd almost question why you argued so vehemently on her behalf."

"Almost?"

"After the events of Eden Prime…"

"It took you this long? I'm a little insulted, General."

The General's expression didn't change, but his left eyebrow arched a little, just enough to register at the QEC on his end. "Your explanation of events _was_ particularly outlandish."

"Fair enough. Now, on to more important things. Has Falcon squad been successful in their endeavors?"

"Things are progressing a little slower on that front. They've opted for the cautious approach. Falcon squad has just completed the process of integrating into the staff, retrieval is expected within two weeks if all goes well."

"Interesting. Whose idea was that? I bet it was Corporal Gibbons."

"Actually, it was Private Vega, sir."

"Really? I'd pegged him as the,…well, not the stealthy type. How surprising."

"That's putting it mildly. I - hold on a minute, sir."

"General?"

"..hmm. That's odd."

Marshal's curiosity had been piqued, and he wasn't about to be left out of the loop.

_Hey. Yoohoo. Yo, I'm kinda talking to you here. Alright, here's one. Knock knock. Who's there? The GRAND MARSHAL. You know, your boss. Payer of bills, puller of strings, eater of...well, nothing. You know what, I really, really, miss that. If I could, I'd go for some pecan pie right now. Or a deep dish pizza. Oooh, a deep dish pecan pie pizza! Yummy. Wait, I have the feeling I was mad about something. Oh, yeah, that. Alright, serious face, grr._

"General," he said, this time with a little more bass in his voice.

The General, apparently, hadn't noticed a thing. "Are there any operatives stationed in the Kepler Verge?"

Marshal muscles immediately tensed up.

_Fuck. As informed as I keep him, there aren't very many reasons he would ask me that. Fuck._

"What does the message say?"

"It just says 'Mission Complete'."

Instantly, Marshal's muscles relaxed. Before he knew it, he'd begun laughing uncontrollably. Marshal's entire being was filled with a fierce joy, for this was a turn of events he'd not expected, but one that was most certainly welcome.

_YES!_

The holographic projection of the General looked utterly perplexed. "Are you…alright?"

After a minute or two, Marshal had settled down enough to reply. "I'm fine, General."

"What was that?"

With a grin wider than the Grand Canyon, Marshal said, "That? That, my friend, was the sound of victory."


	8. Adam's Apple

**~ I don't think this one straddles the line too hard, but use caution when reading.~**

**Oh, almost forgot. I've got a profile up at AO3, so this story will also be updating there, just in case anything ever happens (site goes down, lost chapters, etc.). I have a few things planned for Blast Effect that you'll only be able to see there, little odds and ends I'm not really allowed to post on FF due to a few weird quirks in site policy. Don't worry, whenever one of these comes out, I'll let you know through these little chapter notes. For now, there isn't anything up besides chapters, but you can still go there if you want (URL below). **

_archiveofourown_dot_org_slash_users_slash_Aught_O_VII_

**Adam's Apple**

2175 CE

She breathed in darkness.

She'd eaten there, slept there. She'd been beaten there, and kept there.

Given up. Her parents didn't want her.

Neglected. The orphanage didn't need her.

Taken. The slavers could care less about her.

Abandoned. Her masters grew bored with her.

She'd been hidden away in the darkness many times, always left to rot in the end.

The darkness was her home, her comfort. It hid her. It protected her.

Light? The arrival of light only ever meant pain.

She shied away. It was happening again. She could feel it. Light was coming.

And it did come. But this time was different. It was not the light itself that caught her eye this time.

For the first time, she noticed shadow. _The_ shadow. And it offered her something she had never _truly_ been cognizant of.

A choice.

She didn't have to leave the darkness. But she could now. If she wanted to.

But why would she want to?

The ultimate darkness, death itself, was already on its way. All she had to do was wait, and the painful light of life would be gone.

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 30, 03:71 GST

"Nepheron, you say?"

"I recommend evacuating the base and removing any sensitive information contained in the facility's database. Immediately."

"Just what has happened since your previous report?"

_A whole lot of "none of your damn business"._

"Among other things, the discovery of Alliance Rear Admiral Kahoku's corpse on Binthu. The Commander was….less than pleased."

"I suppose I can't fault you. It wasn't a particularly remarkable facility, and my knowledge of Kahoku's presence doesn't extend beyond my last communication with them. Now, it seems, it was also the final one."

"His _presence_, huh? Are you honestly trying to tell me you were unaware of his passing?"

"As I said, the final communication with the Binthu facility is all I had, until just now. I gave the go-ahead on an interrogation, yes, but I certainly didn't expect them to be so careless as to kill him."

"To be fair, I _did_ warn you about the rachni experiments."

The Illusive Man's face betrayed his surprise before Marshal, something that happened with a very annoying amount of regularity, as far he was concerned.

_Well, color me shocked. You didn't actually issue a kill order. And if you did, you're getting way better at recognizing when I'm lying. Which is something that would also shock me, albeit for a much different reason._

"They used rachni for an _interrogation_? Perhaps it was for the best that they died…"

_I'd call you a dick, but we're pretty much in agreement here. If it had actually gone down like that, I'd have killed 'em on principle alone. They were gonna die anyway, but that's beside the point._

"I'm afraid that's not the only bad news concerning the rachni."

"…don't tell me. Depot Sigma-23?"

_Hey! Watch your tone. Or else._

"Don't accuse me."

_I mean it. I'm not above ding-dong-ditching your ass. And you can rest assured, there will_ _be flaming poo._

"I'm not. I'm just curious as to your reasoning for letting Commander Shepard near such a major production center."

"If you're implying I would sabotage shock troop production simply because of my personal objection to it…"

The Illusive Man chuckled. A rare occurrence.

"If I really thought that, I wouldn't make it so obvious."

Marshal raised an eyebrow. "Of course not. Because I clearly couldn't uncover something you were bent on concealing."

Another chuckle.

_I probably just set some kind of record._

"I must admit, I almost forgot who I was talking to for a moment. But that really only drives my point home even further. Such lapses in judgement are uncharacteristic of you, to say the least."

_It's not my fault. Shepard flipped the script on me and went to the Styx Theta cluster before we even hit Noveria. I can't exactly say that out loud, though. And besides, the place was a disaster anyway, you know that! Wait. No you don't. Good job, brain._

"As it turns out, my, what did you call it? 'Lapse in judgement', right. It wound up not particularly mattering at all. Recordings left at the base show that the rachni were uncontrollable, and far more intelligent than originally thought. They wound up killing all personnel, and shipped themselves off to several different planets, which is how the good Commander even got wind of the Depot in the first place."

"Hmm. Once again, you prove yourself quite the asset. Even in failure, minor as it was, you still managed to succeed."

_I'm…not quite sure if that's a bullshit slap on the wrist or a dainty little backhanded compliment._

"Excuse me, did you say 'failure'?"

"The fact of the matter is that you let intel on Cerberus fall into Alliance hands, even if it was just a few recordings. Not a failure in and of itself, but by your standards, anything less than perfection is simply below expectations."

"Is that right? Then I've spoiled you too much. Perhaps I'll slip up a little more often, give myself some cushion for a real screw up."

It was the Illusive Man's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Yeah, alright, I get it, don't kid like that. We got off topic anyway."

"Yes, the Nepheron situation. I'll have them pack up immediately."

"…"

"Is something wrong, Mr. Cooper?"

"I just remembered. Isn't Toombs holed up there?"

The Illusive Man sighed. "At this point, I really don't know why I even bother getting surprised. And you are correct, former Alliance Corporal Toombs is being held for experimentation at the Nepheron facility. His tests have yielded some very interesting results."

"Is that enough to make it worth keeping him alive?"

"Possibly. But considering the time frame, it's best not to risk it. Pity. That program was finally starting to show some promise. Now, is there anything else?"

"As a matter of act, yes. I've just finished my evaluation of Ms. Williams."

"And?"

"She is, quite frankly, the perfect recruit. But I believe that her Alliance leanings are too strong to overcome. I cannot see here ever siding with Cerberus, for any reason. I cannot, in good faith, recommend that you pursue this course any further."

"That's disappointing news. I would've liked to have her on our side. Still, I appreciate the effort. Keep up the good work."

"Of course. Cooper out."

\/\/\/

2175 CE

He opened a steel door, looking to escape the Shadow Broker's agents.

_Shit, wrong door. That must mean the exit's on the left corridor._

He couldn't see anything inside. He turned off the dimmer on his rifle's spotlight and looked around.

_Concrete walls, some chains, and a bucket that stinks to high heaven. Yep, took a wrong turn. This is one of the old torture cells. And there seems to be something else in the corner…_

He jumped, damn near out of his own skin. It was a teenaged girl, probably around 16 or 17, completely naked and _very _emaciated.

_Jesus, that scared the shit of me. Still, to think there's someone here, alive? This place is supposed to be abandoned. Well, except for the fuckers that followed me in here._

The girl stirred, drawing a long and ragged breath.

"_Malnourished" seems like a hell of an understatement. If I were to leave her here, she'd be dead in a few hour's time._

He could hear voices coming from across the facility. He gave himself five minutes, maybe, before they got past the traps he'd lain down.

_Shit. I don't have time for this. I can't protect someone else AND escape…you know what, fuck it. I can at least give her a chance to get out of here on her own._

"Hey!"

The girl looked up.

"You want out?"

She looked puzzled.

"I can't take you with me. But I can give you this."

He tossed her a pistol.

"I'm gonna close the door to hide you, but I'll keep it unlocked. Wait a minute after you can't hear them anymore, and you'll have a shot to escape before the second wave comes. Follow the red lights on the floor, and shoot anything that moves."

"….."

"Or you can stay here and die. Whatever choice works for you."

BOOM!

_Damn it! That was my final trap! I thought I had bought myself more time than this…just, damn. I'm dead if they catch me, I need to go right now._

"Sorry, but I can't stick around any longer. Good luck. You'll need it."

He took off like a bolt of lightning, and the door closed behind him.

* * *

It wasn't as if she hadn't seen this trick before. It was a variation she was unfamiliar with, but it was still clearly a trick.

_Restore my hope, then take it away…_

But why then, had he left her a gun? Was there some deeper, crueler level to it?

_Of course, that's it. He's locked the door, and the gun's for a suicide attempt. Obviously, the ammunition block will have been taken out…_

"The blood trail splits in two directions!"

"Alpha and Charlie squads, take the exits. We'll go with Delta squad and search the Cell Blocks."

_Going the extra mile. Well then…_

She snatched the gun from the floor with vigor, and almost dropped it back out of surprise.

_At death's door, and I still have this much strength left…curious._

She pointed the gun at the door in defiance of the foolish attempt to trick her.

_Bang bang, bitch._

She squeezed the trigger, and a deafening noise filled her ears.

_What the…augh, my ears!_

She spotted a fist-sized hole in the door that definitely hadn't been there just seconds before.

_No…it couldn't be!_

"- - ell was - - oise?!"

_He…this…_

"It - - ove - - hat - - irection!"

_No! If this is real, death is coming. This is what I wanted._

"- - reful. Ke - - yes - - peeled."

But she couldn't shake it.

_This is what I wanted!_

It just wouldn't leave her alone.

_THIS IS WHAT I WANTED!_

This feeling that assailed her. One that she had numbed herself to, hadn't felt the full brunt of since she was a small child.

_Why is this happening?!_

It moved her around like a puppet, independent of her actual will, which was screaming at her body to lie still and accept her fate.

_Damn it, no! STOP IT!_

The fear was in full control. She was afraid. Very, very, afraid.

_Of what! What could I possibly be afraid of right now?!_

She was afraid…

_No…_

…of dying.

_BULL. SHIT!_

"I AM NOT AFRAID OF DEATH!"

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 28, 00:05 GST, MSV Fedele

Saleon was shaking.

"I - - I can't believe it. After years of research, I've actually done it!"

He could still see the images in his mind, even though the device was no longer attached.

"This is amazing! The possibilities are endless!"

The salarian could hardly contain himself. The last three years had been hard on him, very much so. After over a year of no progress, Edward Cooper had eventually followed through on his threats to cut off all funding from the project, and had left the salarian to his own devices. But at that point, he had become determined to see it through to the end. Saleon had ramped up his organ harvesting activity to levels never before seen, and felt constant pressure from the various authorities that had taken notice and gave chase. But it had all been worth it. Countless subjects hacked up for parts, to be transformed into both money and lab material, and now his research had _finally_ bore fruit.

"Ha! This'll show Cooper to cut me off!"

And in that moment, Saleon's greed took over all his thoughts.

"You know what? That's actually a fantastic idea! I'll show him that I've successfully completed it, and then I'll be wealthy enough to buy up all of Illium and live the high life for the next decade!"

A deluded fantasy if there ever was one.

All things considered, contacting Cooper to try and cash in was still only the second worst idea he'd ever had. The worst was not leaving well enough alone, and continuing to work even when Cooper had given him an out. Scratch that. The whole partnership in general was the one with the real honor of topping the list.

\/\/\/

2175 CE

_Damn it! They've got me pinned down! It's only a matter of time now…_

"- backup! Repeat, we need - auuugghh!"

"Come in! Bravo, do you read me?!"

"Shit! Alpha, we'll nail his ass. You guys go on ahead."

"Right."

_Sounds like I'm not the only one in trouble. I wonder…nah, it couldn't be._

* * *

The walls of Cell Block A shook with screams, cries for mercy, and last-minute prayers.

Even if she _could_ hear them (she couldn't), their pleas would not have been heeded or listened to. She was lost in a blood haze, with no end in sight.

She wouldn't stop until she'd ripped them all to shreds.

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 31, 12:35 GST, Nepheron

Shepard, Garrus, and Wrex got out of the Mako.

"This is it," Shepard said, with a look of grim determination.

"Right behind you." "Uh-huh."

\/\/\/

2175 CE

_I have to say, there's a certain macabre beauty to this. The way she moves to and fro, very graceful, like a ballet dancer. Only in ballet, you don't tear someone's throat out with your teeth while bashing someone else's skull in with a femur bone and kicking yet another person square in the nads. Not like, the general area, I mean *directly* in the balls. Poor bastard sunk like a brick, and he was wearing armor! Your shin's gotta be some kinda powerful to do that. _

Cue the sound of a shin bone snapping in half.

_Seth Green was right, that did sound dramatic._

"Finally, a break!"

_Great timing on that, guy, but you should probably be more concerned with the fact that you're now outnumbered. _

He took a look at the fallen girl, and saw the she was on the verge of conking out.

_Well, maybe not in practice. But, in theory, it's probably still true. I'm reasonably sure this chick has, in fact, wiped out your whole crew. I know I certainly don't hear anybody else coming to your aid._

"Oh, come on! You had to pick _this moment_ to come out of hiding?"

"What'd you expect? I'm a sucker for irony."

"Just…shoot me, before she gets back up."

"Alright."

Bang!

"For the record, I don't think she's actually gonna get back up."

Her head hit the floor with a soft thump.

"See, told you."

"…uhhh. You asshole."

Bang!

"That's _Mister_ Asshole to you."

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 31, 12:40 GST, Nepheron

"I don't like this one bit, Shepard," Wrex said as he tried to tiptoe around as stealthily as possible. No easy task for a krogan.

Garrus nodded. "Me either. The fact that we haven't met any resistance, and that nothing is in this base despite the complicated measures used to hide its location, it can't all be a coincidence. Cerberus knew we were coming."

Shepard held up a hand. "Stop."

"Do you hear that?"

A ticking noise was coming from the room they had just passed.

\/\/\/

2175 CE

He pried the key card from the agent's breast pocket.

_Let's see here…Operative McFrehees? Well that's just perfect, Mr. Leader of Charlie squad. Next, you'll be telling me your real name is Steve Williams._

He waved the card over the access panel near the docking bay door, which was conveniently located about 15 feet from where he'd previously been taking cover.

_With all hubbub, I didn't even realize how close I was to the exit. I really need to start taking better notice of my surroundings._

Just as he was about to step through the airlock to freedom, a faint, desperate plea reached his ears.

"…help…"

_Don't do it, man. You saw what she did to those mercs. They weren't exactly regular joes. We're talking battle-hardened vets direct from the Shadow Broker's personal army._

"…please help…"

_Who's to say she won't do the same thing to you?_

She was crying now. "…I don't want to die. Ple-!"

His fist clenched. _Damn it!_

Blood had started bubbling up from her throat, choking away what little strength she had left. "- guh - please…"

_I can't be like them. I have to look her in the eyes. If I allow this to happen…it needs to be necessary. I need to know she's a threat._

* * *

She sensed him turning around. She struggled with all her might to lift her head, to meet the stare she felt burning a hole through her soul.

"…save…me…"

And with those words, her strength was gone. Her head fell to floor once more.


	9. Howard Hughes and the Titanic Grapes

**~ I thought about naming this chapter "The Thief with No Eyes", but then I remembered Ray Charles had eyes. On a related note, there's plot or something. Don't worry though, you can go ahead and skip this one. I'm sure nothing important's going on. ~**

**Howard Hughes and the Titanic Grapes**

2183 CE, Day 32, 19:82 GST, Despoina - Chimera HQ

"Stop lying. I can always tell."

Marshal grinned. "Maybe, but you don't necessarily know what I'm lying _about_."

"Ugh. On and on with the half-truths and double talk," Alice said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Do you know I only have headaches when you're around?"

Marshal shrugged. "Not my fault. You got what you signed on for."

"I didn't sign on for this. You dragged me back to the living world, I didn't have a say in the matter."

"Yes, yes," Marshal said, rolling his eyes, "But all that happened _after_ you begged me to save you…"

"Which wouldn't have happened at all if you hadn't opened that cell in the first place," Alice retorted.

"What was I supposed to do, leave you to die?" asked Marshal.

"I was quite ready to die, thank you very much." Alice said, her arms crossed.

Marshal leaned back in his chair. "Sure you were."

"It certainly would've been easier than having to deal with you all the time."

Marshal nodded sarcastically and grabbed a nearby datapad, holding it as if it were a clipboard. "Interesting. I do believe we've made a breakthrough. Here's a prescription for, let's see…30? no, 50 mg of 'Kissmyassanol'. I recommend taking twice daily with lip balm for maximum effectiveness."

Alice's eye began to twitch. "Why do you have to trivialize absolutely everything?"

"The same reason you're such a grouch. No one goes through hell and comes back unscathed. And besides," Marshal said, throwing the datapad back on the table, "It's better than the alternative."

Alice sighed. "I guess you're right. You being serious all the time would probably destroy the universe or something."

_Don't joke about that._

"You've got that look again."

"What look?"

Alice raised an eyebrow. "Don't give me that. What's bothering you?"

"Nothing. Well, I mean, there's always something bothering me. But not like that."

She stared at him for a moment. "You sure?"

"Yes, yes, I'm sure."

Alice gently grabbed hold of his hand. "You know I'm here for you."

Marshal smirked. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you're going soft on me."

Alice's face blushed bright red, and she let go. "I-Idiot."

"If I were an idiot," Marshal grinned ever so slightly, "The Shadow Broker would've had my head mounted on his wall years ago."

Her face back to its normal perma-frown, Alice quipped, "You _are_ an idiot, and you're only alive because I keep dragging your ass out of the fire."

"And keeping his army at bay with never ending lectures, don't forget that."

"You're the one who constantly preaches the value of dialogue."

"Yeah, but _I_ pick my spots."

Alice laughed at the mere thought of that being true. "You know what, this train of thought isn't getting us anywhere. So would you remind me why exactly I had to pick you up out of an escape pod again?"

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 32, 00:19 GST, SSV Normandy - Cargo Bay

Marshal was slapping his knee, laughing his ass off, acting as if he'd just heard the funniest joke ever told. Commander Shepard was more than a little pissed about this.

"You could at least show a sliver of concern. One of our comrades has just died!"

"Your comrade, maybe, but not mine. I hated his damn guts, and I know for a fact the feeling was mutual. How could he _not_ hate me, I killed his brother!"

That revelation, combined with the…glee with which it was unveiled, knocked whatever retort Shepard had lined up for quite a loop.

_You're seriously shocked? Like, non-ironically? You shouldn't be. I know you didn't really get the chance to talk to him much, but I'm sure you could tell that Wrex was actually a pretty even tempered guy. Very few things would cause him to hold a legitimate grudge against someone. Oh well. At least I've got an easy transition to where I want this little chat to go._

"And as far as 'concern' goes," Marshal said, taking the levity out of his tone, "I'm more concerned by how easily distracted you are."

Shepard's eyes widened in surprise (and perhaps even a little befuddlement) at the statement.

Marshal casually kicked his feet up on a nearby crate. "I'm just pointing out what I've observed, Commander. Saren gets the jump on everyone, and what do you do in response? You make a dozen pit stops to go after criminals and terrorists who just _happen_ to catch your eye, and you justify it all by saying it's 'the right thing to do'. Honestly, the ease with which you've shrugged off your real mission is almost enough to make me puke."

_If that doesn't elicit a reaction, I don't know what will._

Her anger at Marshal's lack of empathy shifted into straight up outrage at the man himself. "Now you wait just a damn minute-"

_Nostrils flared, brow furrowed, steam practically billowing out of every pore. Oh yeah, I'm on the right track._

Marshal got up. "Hell no, I won't wait a minute! I'm not in this for your justice, and I'm sure as fuck not getting paid for my work here. My sole interest in your mission lies in the chance to kick Saren Arterius's sorry ass all the way back to Palaven, or better yet, straight to hell where he belongs!"

_Slight pause for dramatic effect. Alright, now bring it back gritty and low, then raise it again._

"And yet, despite the fact that my motivation is so obvious a blind monkey could see it, you've still seen fit to buy into Vakarian's propaganda. You look at me like I'm some kind of…of…_monster_ and smack down my suggestions at every turn. And GOD FORBID I say we should go _anywhere_ near an actual lead! You'd just go the opposite direction out of pure spite!"

_Alright, now bring it home! And while we're at it, let's gesticulate for extra emphasis. I don't do that nearly enough._

"The fact of the matter is that the YOU, the _great and powerful Commander Shepard_, are handing Saren the galaxy on a silver platter!"

_And the Oscar goes to…_

"You know what? I don't have to put up with you telling me how to do my job, nor am I answerable to you in any way whatsoever! As a matter of fact, I don't have to put up with you at all! Pack your things and get off of my ship. **NOW**."

_Fucking. Nailed it! That guttural, "you just crossed the line" feel, ex-act-ly what I was fishing for. I would do a victory lap, but that'd seriously undermine the integrity of this acting masterpiece._

"You mean, like, right now? Look, I don't know if you're aware of this, but we happen to be in the middle of this thing called _space_. Empty, no air, generally hazardous to one's health. Any of this ringing a bell?"

"Say another word and it won't just be hazardous, it'll be fatal. Don't think I won't throw you out of the airlock."

Marshal shut up, but not because he felt he had to. His expression got his thoughts across just fine.

_I'd like to see you try._

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 33, 00:01 GST, Despoina - Chimera HQ

"I would've thrown you out of the airlock."

"Sure, sure."

She had her hands on her hips. "Why'd you have to piss her off like that? That takes away an entire dimension of the plan!"

"Not if Saleon finally pulled through."

Alice scoffed at the notion. "Fat chance. It's more likely that-"

A look of comprehension dawned on her face as she turned around to face Marshal. "No. No way."

Marshal was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "Oh, yes way."

"When?"

"The message came through during my latest debrief with the General."

Alice exhaled and sat down, her palms resting on her knees. "How do you want to handle it?"

"I want you to confirm Director Saleon's success, then dispose of him and bring the Third Eye to me, along with any and all prototypes and plans. Everything else…"

"Understood, no traces. What about his payment?"

"Funnel it to his relatives."

"In full?"

"It's the least I can do."

"That's very…generous of you."

"The importance of that device cannot be overstated."

"Very well. What else would you have me do?"

"Contact the Admiral. I'm putting Operation Vacuum Demolition in effect."

Alice blinked. "Is that really necessary?"

"The way Commander Shepard operates, I'm dead certain she'll try to go to Feros first."

"Blockades?"

"Other than Attican Beta? Horse Head and Artemis Tau."

Alice whistled. "That's a tall order, Ed. We don't have that many dreadnoughts to go around. And that's all in Alliance Space, to boot."

"Use the unmanned fleet. It's just one ship we're cutting off."

"You're not worried about the Alliance's response?"

"Very. That's why we'll be using the geth skins, too."

"You want to waste the _entire_ unmanned stealth fleet and the experimental geth skins?!"

"Having them beyond this point is a luxury. And if we're lucky, we may only have to deal with the garrisons, if that. Once the Normandy's been redirected, I'll want that fleet covering Feros for Phase Two."

"…You're going personally."

"That's not to say I won't need backup. I'll need the Vipers for this one."

"The Vipers? That means…whew. That's a lot of ground of cover for that kind of thing."

"Which is why I'll need the fleet to clean up."

"That's assuming all that tech even works."

"I have faith in my R&amp;D guys. So should you."

"Still, that's a huge risk. If anyone slips up and gets seen, there's a gaping hole in your alibi."

"It's the Vipers we're talking about here, they won't screw up. As far as the 'hole' goes, that's just speculation. There's no guarantee Commander Shepard will even give the geth a chance. And in any event, I really can't afford ExoGeni or the Alliance getting ahold of physical evidence."

"In that case, I'll relay your orders to Admiral Balak and get the Vipers on standby."

"Good. And don't forget, time is of the essence. I need the Third Eye in my possession before I can start Phase Two of the operation."

Alice straightened up and gave a picture-perfect salute. "You can count on me."

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 33, Anadius - Cerberus HQ

The Illusive Man was pacing back and forth impatiently when the screen blinked, signaling an incoming transmission.

"I've brought the package, sir."

"Status?"

"Alive. But, I don't understand why you need this _alien_ anyway. I'm more than enough for him."

"It never hurts to have an insurance policy. Although, I truly hope it never comes to that."


	10. Left Hook Outta Nowhere

**~ So, get this. I had this great arc with a magnificent battle planned out, but found it hard to actually sit down and write. Then it hit me that it was TOTALLY BORING, and I wouldn't want to read it myself. Complexity was spinning that particular wheel, so I veered in the opposite direction and found it much easier to get to where I'm going plot-wise. The key elements are still present, and all the legitimately cool ideas I had for the battle (not the other ones though, they were ultra super terrible bad) will now be put in more fitting places, in fights that wind up actually mattering.**

**TLDR - I figured out I needed to cut out the middle man, and it's all thanks to….Michael Bay's Transformers. And yes, I am appropriately ashamed by that. Please don't stone me to death. ~**

**Left Hook Outta Nowhere**

\/\/\/

_How far should one go?_

_Is there truly a limit?_

_If so, where? If not, should there be?_

_Is it the What that matters, or the Why? Both? Neither?_

_He knows What. She knows Why. They remember everything now._

_The Shepard will suffer greatly because of IT._

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 35, 13:05 GST, Theseus System

Outbursts of emotion, both subtle and over-the-top, were a common sight to see from Edward Cooper. The thing about it was, the majority of those seen were completely false, a series of masks specially crafted and put on to evoke specific responses from others. Or to put it another way, you never saw anything other than what he wanted you to see.

It was for this very reason that Commander Lahui, who had experienced firsthand (to devastating effect) just how well Cooper could distance himself from any real feelings for deception's sake, was shocked to behold what looked to be a rare display of genuine emotion from the Grand Marshal.

And he was _seething_.

With a glint in his eye, laughing through gritted teeth, he was flashing the kind of smile that would put the most criminally insane mass murderers to shame. Edward Cooper looked for all the galaxy like he'd _finally_ cracked. And if he had, Lahui wasn't so sure he could really blame him.

After all, Marshal had gone through the trouble of assembling his very best infiltrators and assassins, collectively known as the Vipers, together into the same place at the same time for the first time ever. A rather monumental achievement, when Lahui thought about it. Their clashing styles and personalities meant the Vipers generally operated alone or, on missions where more than one operative was absolutely necessary, in tandem with Vice Commander Krios (who, as the only member thoroughly respected by all the others, functioned as the group's de facto leader). Just talking to some of them drove Commander Lahui up the wall. He didn't know how Thane did it, as the drell had way more hang ups about professionalism then even he did. Then again, Special Operations as a whole was Lahui's gig, not just wetwork. It was an exceptional occasion when he got called into the field nowadays, usually to keep all parties involved on the same page rather than getting heavily engaged in the action (two facts that irritated him immensely; he was a WARRIOR-KING, damn it!). And in this instance, it seemed that all the effort expended on Marshal's part to get everyone in place for this mission, as well as the many other preparations involved, were about to amount to exactly jack shit.

Which brings us back to the problem at hand, and Grand Marshal Cooper's highly unsettling and fairly justifiable (I say "fairly" instead of "definitely", as it wasn't justifiable at all from a moral standpoint) reaction to it.

You see, the mission as it had been laid out to the Vipers, while strange and challenging in some aspects, was still fairly straightforward and played to their strengths. Land (and stay) undetected by the geth, occupy the already besieged Zhu's Hope, then split up into two groups: one to branch outside and capture the designated targets, and the other to keep the populace under control and safeguard the Grand Marshal as he retrieved whatever information he seemed to think was buried under the colony. Afterwards, they were to bug out, rendezvous with R &amp; D vessels just outside the relay to hand off the soon-to-be test subjects, then sit back and watch the initiation of a coverup grand enough to make the most diehard conspiracy theorist blush. Hell, they even had a tailor-made scapegoat in the geth. All the variables were known and accounted for, so given the proper execution, this would theoretically be their easiest paycheck to date for the amount of work they put in.

The particular key word in that last paragraph and this sentence would be "theoretically", as the theoretical shit hit the theoretical fan when the shuttle dropped put of FTL into an _actual_ **asteroid field**.

If you had asked Lahui's superior if he'd anticipated such an event, he'd have said yes (or mumbled something about not trusting elevators, toss up really), and that would've been the truth. Mostly.

But was he _ready_ for it?

No.

Not even close.

* * *

_Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nopeNopeNOPE SO MUCH NOPE_

* * *

As Commander Lahui expertly piloted the shuttle through the giant collection of space rocks that used to be Feros, he took a moment to try and get Grand Marshal Cooper back to the land of the sane by reminding him that there was still, in fact, work to do. And if any work was to be done at all, they needed him to drag this thing out of FUBAR territory yesterday.

"Sir, I'm thinking that perhaps there's been a shift in mission parameters. Any orders or…"

Marshal did this thing with his face. Lahui wasn't sure what it was, but it _might_ have been an attempt to realign his facial muscles into an expression resembling some form of awareness of aforementioned parameter shift, or maybe even a stab at a sort of feigned composure. If it was either of those things, it wasn't working, as Cooper just looked like he was constipated and/or having a stroke.

"Alright, I'll just…aimlessly meander in planetary debris until you're ready to-"

"If I wanted lip outta you, birdman, I'd go to the friggin' zoo!"

_Welcome back, asshole. Excuse me. Welcome back, "sir". That's what I meant._

It was at this moment that Vice Commander Krios somehow found it prudent to chime in and remind Marshal of a rather obvious fact.

"Marshal, I don't believe the raloi have those."

"What, zoos?"

"Lips, sir," Thane replied, as the cabin erupted into giggles.

_The best part is that he's not even actually trying to piss Marshal off. Thane's just that blunt with him._

Edward's face had finally returned to normal (well, almost), but now a vein was pulsating quite vigorously in his left eyelid.

"Duly noted, Mr. Krios. As is the density of your muscle tissue and consistent presence of the hyoid bone in your throat, neither of which is lessening my desire to _strangle_ you right now."

"You, on the other hand," said Marshal, turning around to face Lahui, "I see what you did there. Almost makes me want to hug you."

"Please don't."

"I said _almost_," Marshal frowned, massaging his throat. "I still remember what those hands are capable of, you know."

Lahui thought about staying on that subject just to make Marshal squirm (the Commander'd never quite get over how he was conned in to working for Cooper, especially considering how close Lahui had come to successfully offing him), but decided he'd rather not fly in an asteroid field any longer than he had to.

"…right. On an unrelated but far more important note, do you have any kind of backup plan here or-"

"I have ALL the backup plans, Commander. None of which I have to explain to you."

"Yes, yes, you're the boss, we've all got that. No need to throw your weight around. So…orders?"

"Back to HQ."

Lahui tapped the display, directing the shuttle back to the relay from whence it came.

"Don't any of you bother kicking your feet up when we get back," Marshal said, turning to the rest of the Vipers in the cabin, "I'm still putting y'all to work. This mission is _not_ over, not by a long shot."

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 35, 17:91 GST, Despoina - Chimera HQ

"So you're saying the…what did you call it again?"

"Thorian, Alice."

"Yes, that. It's just gone?"

"And Feros, too, don't forget that."

"And that means Newstead and Dan are gone. Lawson's gonna freak."

Edward chuckled. "Let him have his temper tantrum. He'll get over it and find another way."

"You sure about that?" Alice questioned.

"He's the best man for that project. The only man, really."

"Even if you believe that'll work, how're we even going to get to a point to test it? You said it yourself, that thing's knowledge is crucial to progressing on every other front."

"We don't even know if it's actually lost."

"The planet exploded!"

Marshal slammed his fist down on the desk. "And planets don't explode spontaneously! Someone caused it, which means there was a reason for it, the most likely being the Thorian!"

"No shit, Saren was trying to destroy it!"

"Do you honestly believe he has that kind of firepower? Really?"

"Don't _you_?"

Cooper hesitated.

"By your own admission, you've heavily interfered with the outcomes of future events. You've even tried to take him out-"

"You know full well that was opportunism, he just happened to be there during that whole Wreav debacle."

"And you got your ass handed to you! As you should have, he's the very best the Spectres have!"

"Not anymore."

"My point still stands," Alice huffed. "He has resources."

"He's also under Sovereign's control."

"Do you still know that?"

Cooper hesitated again.

"Do you?"

Marshal thought for a moment. "I have a _lot_ of enemies at this point. I can't just start jumping to conclusions here, Alice."

"Why not? You do most of the time."

"Most of the time, I'm not dealing with this many unknowns. And to your previous point, I'm fully capable of screwing things up. This is a much bigger situation, and if I take a wrong turn, I'm losing a lot more than some organs."

Alice breathed deeply, and smoothed her suit out a little. "If not Saren, who? The Shadow Broker? The Illusive Man? Petrovsky?"

Marshal's jaw clenched. "There you go again, always accusing Oleg of-"

"Why shouldn't I? He doesn't work for us!"

"YES HE DOES!"

Marshal sat back down at his desk. "Look, you don't trust him, I get that. While he may technically still be on Harper's payroll, _so am I_. Besides, if he really was planning on crossing me, he'd have done so the minute I told him what was what."

"I still say you should never have done that. It was too risky."

"So was saving you. But I did it anyway."

"That's different!"

"No, Alice," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder, "It isn't. I took a chance on you, despite the overwhelming possibility that you'd brutally tear me apart, just like the Broker's men."

Alice's voice wavered, sincerely hurt by the accusation. "You know I would never-"

"I know that _now_. But back then, I was running for my life, with every reason to believe any person I encountered was trying to kill me. All I saw with you was someone who should've been dead, galavanting around with energy you had no business having, literally ripping people to pieces before my eyes. And I still extended you a courtesy, a chance, and _I was rewarded for it_."

"I just…I…"

"You don't have to say anything. I know how much you worry, and I'm telling you, it's _fine_."

"I…okay. Alright. But that means we still don't have any answers."

Edward sighed. "That's what I've been trying to say, baby. I can't dwell on this, I've just got to focus on what I can control. And that means relying on my fall backs. That's what they're there for."

Alice's brow scrunched up, lined with worry. "Attacking there...and so soon, too. It could mean all out war with the Alliance."

"Yeah, it could," Cooper said as he draped his arms around her, chin resting on her shoulder, "But that's why it's Plan B."

Alice turned her head, locking eyes with Marshal. "Why can't things be simple anymore? Why can't we just enjoy our lives for once, huh?"

It wasn't really a question, more of a general complaint. They both knew their lives would never be simple again. Not after the Cataclysm that put them here, in this plane of existence they didn't belong in. And as far as enjoyment went, the knowledge that they were all that remained of their former home was enough to sap it all away in a heartbeat. The only reason either of them hadn't given up on life entirely was because there was a still a way back, a chance to undo the damage and give all those souls who were lost to the Void the same chance they'd been granted. Together, they had the strength to make things right again.

As long as they still had that hope to hang onto, the whole universe as well as everyone in it could go to hell for all they cared. And why shouldn't it? It wasn't like it was theirs, anyway.

\/\/\/

_Power beyond power, such is what they find_

_But woe to those who use IT, doom follows close behind_

\/\/\/

**~ On the next episode of Unfortunate Meteor: **

"**NORMAAAA! Where's my coffee?!"**

***Norma appears with coffee***

"**This coffee…"**

***Norma looks on apprehensively***

"…**it's cold!"**

***Norma gets thrown out of an airlock***

**HAHAHAHAHAHAHA**

**Look forward to it! ;) ~**


	11. Guesswork

**~ Last time on Lizardcube X: Konata revealed the secret of the universe, but nobody was listening. So here's a chapter that turned out to be more linear than I intended. Make of that what you will. Also, bring along a gallon of ice cream (or another comfort food of your choosing, if you're vegan or simply not a fan of ice cream), 'cuz it's about to get sad and/or cynical up in this hizzy. Or maybe it isn't. Screw it, do whatever you want, but make sure you read the darn thing! ~**

**Guesswork**

2175 CE

She awoke with her hands bound, her body tied to a metal bed frame bolted into the floor. No stranger to this kind of treatment, she was nonetheless confused, as would-be captors typically took pains to keep her in the dark about her own location. This time, however, it was painfully obvious she was aboard a simple civilian frigate. Then again, she had no idea where it was headed, so it was pretty much a wash.

_Let's see if we can't do something about that._

She broke her restraints quite easily (who uses twine?), and proceeded to search the nearby block of rooms for anything she could use as a weapon. To her dismay, most of them were devoid of anything at all, save for a storage closet. There she found some dusty sheets, a few blankets, a mop, and a pile of credit chits that had been dumped into the accompanying mop bucket for some inexplicable reason.

_Got enough credits here to build a state-of-the-art dreadnought, but you don't even bother to spruce up the tin can you're traveling in? Talk about twisted priorities. At least this mop's wooden, instead of that mass produced plastic crap. Sturdy, too. I can probably make a passable weapon out of this. A firearm would be a lot more helpful, but I guess a pointy stick is better than nothing at all._

Pointy stick in hand, she travelled down the hallway as swiftly as she could without giving away her position to anyone on board. It was to no avail, for as she rounded the corner, she was met with the business end of a gun barrel.

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 36, Despoina - Chimera HQ, Situation Room

"That's quite the tale."

"Indeed," Marshal said as he fiddled with his briefcase.

"So, with this Thorian gone and Feros destroyed, what exactly is your next move?"

Marshal didn't answer, instead opting to peruse the data feeds scrolling down the monitors on the wall.

"You suspect treachery?"

"Not necessarily. But I'd be lying if I said you weren't on my shortlist of possible culprits."

The General was taken aback. "I only just heard about it! From you!"

"I don't know that, General. After all these years, you've yet to truly commit to me. You've been content to sit on the fence, keeping your options open."

"I've yet to commit?! I spend half my waking hours just making sure your organization doesn't fall apart!"

"You're still in regular contact with Harper, far more so than I am. You have plenty of opportunities to stab me in the back without me ever knowing until it's too late. Meanwhile, I'm facing an intelligence breakdown of colossal proportions that threatens to nullify everything I've worked so hard to build. I need to know where your loyalties lie, once and for all."

"Exactly what are you getting at?"

"I'm at a point where I just can't go out and get people anymore. I need them to come to me. I need numbers. I need a presence. i need a consistent source of distractions. I need to get closer to my enemies. There's a whole lot of things I need, not least of which is being able to trust you, and I've thought of way to get a good deal of them in one fell swoop."

The General waited silently, sensing a major task ahead.

\/\/\/

2175 CE

"Honey, didn't your parents ever teach you not to run around with sharp objects?" he snarked, as he pressed the gun firmly against her forehead.

"I don't have any parents," she snarled.

_How blunt._

"That explains the lack of manners. Honestly, what kind of person just rifles through another's belongings like it's nothing?"

"I woke up tied to a freezing hunk of metal. Excuse me for thinking it wasn't a smart idea to walk around unarmed."

He laughed. "You're an ungrateful little bitch, you know that? I rescue your sorry ass from that underground base and I get a D.I.Y. spear in the face for my troubles."

"Well, I've got a _shotgun_ in mine."

"You _quite literally_ tore apart a platoon of the Shadow Broker's finest with your bare hands. Be glad I didn't immediately start blasting the second you exhibited hostile intentions. Unless you're just itching to clean my floors, in which case, I suggest you come back when you've learned how to use a mop."

She smirked defiantly. "You can have all the bravado you want, but it won't do you any good. Pulling that trigger, even from point blank range, would be a waste. I know it, you know it, and you're scared. I don't blame you one bit, either. As you said, I tore apart an entire platoon with my bare hands. Just imagine what I can do with a weapon in them."

_Scared I may be, but point blank is point blank, so you're bluffing like a motherfucker. And the only thing I _know_ is that you're the first foe I've ever had at this much of a disadvantage. Bent over a barrel, as it were. I may not get this kind of chance ever again, so I'll be damned if I let it slip away._

She felt his mind wander for just a moment, and seized her opportunity. She ducked under the barrel in the blink of an eye, and thrust forward with as much force as she could muster…

_SHIT, she wasn't bluffing!_

…only to stumble and double over as searing pain wracked her body, forcing her to focus on simply staying conscious.

_My heart's beating SO goddamn fast right now. If I'd actually known what I was doing when I tried to patch her up, I'd be a goner._

"You idiot," he sneered, trying desperately to keep his voice from trembling, "You might could take me if you were fully healed, but I only fixed you up just enough to walk and talk. It's called foresight, and unlike you, I have the sense to employ it."

_And I should think about actually doing that in the future._

"What do you want from me?" she asked, struggling to get to her feet.

_This isn't about want. It's about need. And what I need is…_

"Answers."

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 36, Despoina - Chimera HQ, Situation Room

"You want me to do WHAT?"

"You heard me, General. I want you to spearhead an invasion of Eden Prime."

The General was speechless.

"You establish the cover story that Chimera is a splinter faction of Cerberus, and position yourself as the face of the organization, a defector unsatisfied with the Illusive Man's pace and plans. This allows me far more access to him, and-"

"It ensures that I can't go back."

"Precisely."

The General stared at Marshal with disbelief.

"You either accept this assignment or walk away for good. There's no third option here, I'll simply kill you if you don't choose."

"You're implying you won't kill me if I say no."

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"Just a little. Why would you even let me walk?"

"Why wouldn't I? You walking tells me everything I need to know. It means Harper knows my intentions, and is desperate enough to pull a stunt like this. It confirms my position as a legitimate threat to him and his plans, even with the vast amount of intel you possess. It means I stand a fair shot of bringing Cerberus to its knees even while my own organization teeters on collapse due to losing you to him. If I'm the one on the offensive, I'll take those odds any day of the week."

"You're making some big assumptions."

"So are you, if you actually believe in his cause."

The General paused to consider his predicament, and chose his next words carefully.

"I've long since stopped believing that Cerberus is best for humanity. I no longer think that he can deliver a galaxy where humans are dominant. Even if he could, I certainly would never truly buy it being his plan, his will."

"Then prove it. Take the plunge."

"A question, if I may."

"Just one," said Marshal, casually directing his pistol in the General's direction. "I've grown tired of constantly explaining myself to you. Make it count."

The General took a breath. "What could possibly be on Eden Prime that's so important you'd risk having to fight wars with the Alliance _and_ Cerberus simultaneously, all in less than a month after Saren Arterius pulled the exact same move you plan to?"

"Congratulations, Oleg," Marshal said, giving the General a slow golf-style clap. "You made it count."

\/\/\/

2175 CE

"So," she said, shifting slightly in her chair, "What do you want to know?"

"Let's start with a name."

"A name, huh? Okay. My last name is Off. First one's Fuck."

_Since I'm such a nice guy. I'll go ahead and ignore that one._

"I'll just call you Alice, then. That alright with you, _Alice_?"

"Sure thing, _Bob_."

"I'd prefer Edward, if you don't mind."

"Whatever. Can you get on with it?"

"Fine. Why were you in that cell?"

"The Shadow Broker put me there."

Edward's knuckles whitened a little. "That's not a _why_, that's a _how_."

"Real stickler for those word choices, aren't you?" Alice remarked.

"Answer the damn question."

"I already did."

"Listen girly, I may not be the picture of hospitality waving this gun around, but a little civility is the very least I should be getting from you! I saved your life!"

"And now you're threatening to end it."

"If I was gonna kill you, I would've done it back in that base. As it stands now, you'll keel over on your own soon enough. All I gotta do is what it's looking like I _already_ should've done, and just not lift another finger to help you!"

"Yeah, well, there are worse fates than death."

_Finally. Something I can work with._

"You would know all about that," Edward said with a sly grin on his face, "Wouldn't you?"

Alice's expression changed from defiant to a mixture of anger and apprehension.

_Definitely not a false opening._

"Was it something I said?"

"You're disgusting," Alice spat.

"You're entitled to your own opinion and all, but I'm not such a bad guy, when you really stop and think about it. After all, who was it that unlocked the door? Who gave you the gun?"

Alice just sat there, silent, seemingly uncertain as to how to properly react to her captor's words.

"You know, I'm wondering…why didn't you end it? Since you seem to think so little of death, and so badly about life, why aren't your brains splattered across those cell walls?"

Again, silence.

"I'll tell you why. It's because you don't want-"

"You don't know what I want! You don't know anything!"

"You sound like a child."

"Screw you! You call me a child, but you're barely 5 years older than me, if that! Don't you talk down to me!"

"Age is relative. Maturity is a different story. I know enough about how things work to understand that if you _really_ wanted to die, you wouldn't have begged me to save you. You would've laid there and taken it like a common-"

"Shut up! shut up Shut Up SHUT UP!"

_This is working just a little too well for my own personal comfort, but I can't let up just yet. I have to push her to the brink._

"Then answer my question. Why? Why did the Shadow Broker lock you up? What did he want with you?"

"I don't know," she sobbed, tears rolling down her face unchecked, "I just don't know."

Edward sighed, and looked out the window. The relay was in sight.

_Looks like we'll have to continue this later. Much later, it seems, if I actually want to get anywhere with this girl. Of course, all of this is assuming I don't get shot, stabbed, or beaten to death on Omega. And that's if I'm lucky._

He exhaled, and began to move toward the cockpit.

"You don't know, huh?" Edward muttered under his breath, "Join the club."

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 36, Despoina - Chimera HQ, Situation Room

General Petrovsky was, in a word, astonished.

"That's…how? How? It's been 50,000 years! How could they even be-"

"The Protheans were a highly advanced race capable of a great many feats. Mastery of cryostasis is one of them."

"How many?"

"Well, there's a considerable amount of cryostasis pods under the colony, but the number of pods online would most likely be just one."

"There's a living one?!"

"Yes, General. And even better…"

Cooper opened his briefcase, spinning it around so that Oleg could see its contents.

"Dare I even ask what that is?"

Marshal flashed the same wide grin he had at the end of their last conversation. "Remember that message you got from my little mystery operative in the Kepler Verge?"

**~ Observable continuity?! Ludicrous! How dare I bring that trash here! For fuck's sake, there's CHILDREN reading! ~**


	12. Behind The Curtain, Before Your Eyes

IMPORTANT NOTICE, PLEASE READ: This chapter has been released here in an altered form due to FF's formatting restrictions. If you care about seeing the intended format, go see it over at Archive of Our Own, where new chapters are released anywhere from a _day_ to a **week** earlier than here. You probably don't care (unless you're a weirdo and/or nerd like me), but I thought I'd go ahead and let you know. The differences in this version compared to the original can be classified as MINOR.

Recommendation: Read this chapter in whatever way makes you comfortable, you won't really miss anything.

* * *

**~ Cerberus Daily News and Codex entries are your friends. Not required supplemental reading for this fic by any means, they're just…very helpful. ~**

**Behind The Curtain, Before Your Eyes**

\/\/\/

_I'm sorry, I just-_

_I never thought it would…_

_This has become a nightmare. A horrible nightmare I desperately wish I could wake up from, but I can't._

_It's all my fault. _

_I just wanted to wake up and see my family again. Just one more time. Was that really so bad? Was that such a terrible sin?_

_I've failed._

_I'm so sorry._

_What? What was I saying again? _

_No. I can't be sorry. There's nothing to be sorry for. _

_This isn't real. It's all a bad dream. I'll wake up any moment now, and everything will be okay._

_Right?_

_Yes. Yes, of course. _

_Wait, no._

_No._

…_yes, actually._

_Well, maybe. I don't know anymore, not truly._

_I hope I wake up soon. This dream is starting to scare me. _

_Maybe I won't get out. Maybe I won't wake up._

_NO! _

_NO NO NO. Don't think like that! It'll happen, just you wait. Remember. _

_Remember everything._

_Got it? Good. _

_We'll use the mantra this time. No no no, trust me, it'll work. Yes, it'll work. Yes….I, I promise._

_Now, repeat after me._

_PRESS START_

_nonononononono don't lose it NO DAMN IT NOT AGAIN_

_WELCOME TO THE_

_Please- _

_ALLIANCE MILITARY DATABASE_

. - - / . - / - . - / . /

_I've lost the feed, I'm blind out here!_

_ESTABLISHING SECURE_

. . - / . - - . /

_CONNECTION_

_Don't listen to it!_

_SECURE CONNECTION CONFIRMED_

_That's it, I'm pulling the plug. Permanently._

_THIS ACTION CANNOT BE UNDONE. ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO DELETE THIS FILE?_

_FILE DELETION CONFIRMED_

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 37, Asteroid X57 - Main Facility

The sounds of constant gunfire reverberated through the facility built deep into the rock of the asteroid. A company of a little under 100 soldiers were laying siege to Commander Shepard and her allies as they attempted to stop a terrorist plot against the Human Systems Alliance.

Just another day at the office, really.

Initially, the supposed terrorists had been caught off guard by the seeming ease with which Shepard and her crew had suddenly burst into their stronghold, intent on rescuing the hostages after already successfully shutting down the fusion torches that would have sent the asteroid hurtling directly into Terra Nova. But it soon became apparent to Shepard that this wasn't a terrorist outfit at all, at least not like any she had heard of. Just as quickly as Shepard and company had come in, they found themselves being forced out; a mixture of discipline, ferocity, and clever tactics funneling them back through the narrow corridor separating the foyer from the courtyard and the facility proper. And after several hours of little to no progress, the crew of the Normandy was getting a tad frustrated, to say the least.

"We can't keep this up for much longer, ma'am!" said Kaidan, doing his best to be heard over the gunfire. "We need to retreat and call for reinforcements!"

"Are you crazy, Lieutenant?!" Ashley asked incredulously, "If we do that, they've got free reign to head back out to the torch facilities and start this nightmare all over again! We need to take the courtyard!"

"And how would you suggest we do that, Chief?" Kaidan retorted. "They'll have snipers perched on the second and third levels just waiting for us to try it! And if by some miracle we _don't_ get taken out while strolling into the killbox, they still have us outnumbered 15 to 1 even _without_ all the drones and-"

"Varren!" yelled Shepard, cutting short the bickering that closely echoed her own thoughts on the matter. "Mow 'em down!"

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 36, 19:42 GST, Spekilas - Chimera Outpost, Ground Floor Barracks

Zaeed Massani was bored to hell and back. Ever since he'd signed on with Chimera, all he'd done was a couple scorched earth missions in between extreme periods of down time. If he wasn't so well compensated for his time, he'd have left long ago, as the usurpation of his position as "most feared mercenary in the Terminus Systems" by his employer pissed him off to no end.

_Goddamn con artist. He promised me Vido, and what did I get? A whole lotta gettin' dicked around, that's what. I swear…_

Zaeed grunted as he heaved the last of his knives at the target he'd drawn on the wall, hitting the bullseye dead center.

_At least my dart game's improved._

He cringed a little as the PA system overhead emitted a high pitched whine.

_Fuck! Every goddamn time with this. You'd think with all this money floating around someone'd fix the fucking speakers in this base._

"Second Lieutenant Massani, report to the comm room immediately," a feminine voice droned over the speaker, sounding even more bored than Zaeed. "Repeat: Second Lieutenant Massani, report to the comm room immediately. You have a Priority Level 1 transmission from Grand Marshal Cooper."

_Finally, some action! And she said it's Marshal…well, I think it's high time I gave that bastard a piece of my mind. I signed on to get Vido, he damn well BETTER deliver._

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 36, 18:73 GST, Despoina - Chimera HQ

Edward bit hard into the large tongue depressor he'd stuck in his mouth, slowly withdrawing a polycrystalline tube (flowing with a viscous liquid foul enough to knock out a krogan from the smell alone) from deep within the flesh of his arm.

_God, this sucks! Swapping out the enhancement tubes is so much harder without Alice around to help…I swear, that girl's a fucking magician. Like, five seconds and BAM, done!_

The tube finally came all the way out with an audible *schlick* and Marshal let the tongue depressor fall to the floor, a pained moan escaping his throat.

_Still, I guess she's got more pressing matters to attend to for now. Setting up Admiral Balak and Zulu Company's extraction, getting Santiago and his circle onboard, coordinating with General Petrovsky on the invasion plan; it's a logistical nightmare. I think the least I can do is handle the maintenance myself this time._

* * *

"Lahui, how are the men?" Alice asked, striding briskly toward the head of Chimera's Special Operations.

"Settled down, for the most part," the winged commander replied. "Still, a little explanation would do them some good. Sitting around in the hangar bay with the bare minimum of information is only going to fly for so long."

"They'll conduct themselves like professionals, info or no. Understood, Commander?"

"Yes, Chief Executive."

Alice started to walk away, but stopped short. "One more thing, Lahui."

"Yes, Ms. Goff?"

"Vice Commander Krios will be serving as the Viper's handler in this operation. I'm sending _you_ into the field to lead our main force."

With this, Alice began walking towards the QEC Chamber, leaving Lahui to cackle to himself like a lunatic.

\/\/\/

As per your orders, I'm forwarding the data on Chimera. I don't have all of it at the moment, but I'll send more as soon as I get it. - Tolan

EXCERPT FROM STG THREAT REPORT

RE: CHIMERA ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Concerning Executive Personnel in Research and Development

Dr. Saleon

\- Head of Research and Development (2175 - 2180)

\- Division Chief: Biological Weapons Research (2175 - 2178, now defunct, merged into Arms Development)

\- Director: Project Third Eye

\- Director: Project Rewind

Dr. Conrad Verner

\- Deputy Head of Research and Development (2177 - 2180)

\- Head of Research and Development (2180 - present)

\- Division Chief: Energy Application (2177 - present)

\- Director: Project Domino

Jason Anderson

\- Deputy Head of Research and Development (2182 - present)

\- Division Chief: Aviation (2179 - present)

\- Director: Project Tin Man

\- Director: Project Sucker Punch

Henry Lawson

\- Deputy Head of Research and Development (2180 - 2182)

\- Division Chief: Communications Technology

\- Director: Project Cthulu

\- Deputy Director: Project Rewind

Urdnot Fortack

\- Division Chief: Chemical Weapons Research (2176 - 2178, now defunct, merged into Arms Development)

\- Division Chief: Arms Development

\- Director: Project Stealing Life

Special Projects Status Reports

\- Project Third Eye: Officially terminated upon dismissal of project director, technological duplication of asari melding process for information gathering purposes

\- Project Rewind: Officially terminated upon dismissal of project director, aim unknown, proposal submitted by deputy director for continuance

\- Project Domino: Ongoing, aim unknown

\- Project Tin Man: Completed, replication/production/distribution of geth technology for warfare purposes

\- Project Sucker Punch: Ongoing, replication/production/distribution of IES ship stealth systems for warfare purposes

\- Project Cthulu: Ongoing, aim unknown

\- Project Stealing Life: Ongoing, aim unknown

Notes: Information gathered (what little there is, at least) on Projects Third Eye, Rewind, and Cthulu suggest some connection to Project Domino. Information on Project Domino has thus far been frustratingly unobtainable. According to intercepted communiques, Project Stealing Life seems to have been put on hold temporarily, but not officially terminated. Communiques also indicate some level of cooperation between Fortack and Lawson on Projects Stealing Life and Rewind.

END EXCERPT

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 38 19:99 GST, Eden Prime

"If you join me," Marshal breathed, heart pounding, his words oozing with every drop of persuasive power he could bring to bear, "If you follow my orders, if you obey my _every_ command without question…I **guarantee** you will be present when I accomplish my ultimate goal. **You will **_**personally**_** bear witness to the complete cessation of the Reapers' existence**."

The statement gave the Prothean pause, halting any potential replies or queries. His eyes pored over Marshal, scanning for anything that would help him discern Marshal's motives.

_He's hesitating. Not unexpected, and definitely the smart thing to do from his perspective. Even so…I don't like this. This look he's giving me, there's more to it than just caution. Is it possible that he can sense it, even without touch? No, no, surely that can't be right…can it?_

Javik continued to watch, unmoving, seemingly uncertain how to proceed. This was also a sentiment shared by the Vipers, who, in a rare break in on-the-job discipline (perhaps due in part to the highly unfamiliar scenario of being forced to operate and cooperate together as front-line infantry, instead of the solo or two-man stealth recon and assassination missions they were normally assigned), no longer had both eyes trained on Javik. Rather, they had one eye trained on the deadly Prothean warrior, and the other on their Grand Marshal. With each passing moment, they began to focus more and more on their leader, a man completely lost in thought, surprisingly unable to demonstrate the swift and intelligent decision making abilities they had come to know him for when facing these exceedingly-too-common-for-personal-comfort types of situations.

_Damn. I can't waste time speculating. If I don't do something, _anything, _things might…NO. No. I trusted my gut, took the initiative to wake him up, and it's worked out fine so far. I need to press the advantage, while I still have it._

Marshal put forth his hand. The Prothean started, but any further reaction was cut off by Marshal's words.

"If you're wondering about my intentions, there _is_ an easier way," he said, his trademark smirk subtly coming back on display, vigorously wiggling his fingers around to emphasize his point. "Just saying."

Javik stayed still for a moment longer, than stepped forward to reach out for Marshal's hand. Most of the Vipers immediately deemed it a harmless move, but Thane's instincts kicked into overdrive. On edge from the sheer tension permeating the air, and much more aware of the situation's importance than his fellows due to Cooper's higher level of trust in him, his muscles began going through the proper sequences in preparation to Throw the Prothean far away from Kolyat's protector. The Grand Marshal held up his left hand almost immediately, a clear signal to halt any offensive train of thought. To the vice commander's credit, he managed to quickly suppress the biotic power welling up within, and stepped back in deference to his superior officer's wishes.

_Impressive as always, Mr. Krios._

Javik, making it obvious by his body language that he was _very_ cognizant of the drell's momentary ill intent, continued his approach without missing a beat.

_Interesting. Is he dismissing Thane's abilities, or have I actually piqued his interest enough for him to overlook the aggression?_

Javik reached out for Marshal's hand.

\/\/\/

_WARNING: DATA CORRUPTION DETECTED_

_MANUAL RESTART REQUIRED_

_EXECUTING SUDO COMMAND_

_THIS SAVEFILE CONTAINS CONTENT THAT IS NOT PRESENT. ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO LOAD THIS SAVEFILE?_

_LOADING…_

_string answerQuestion(string q)_

_|{_

_||string a;_

_||if(q == "WAKE UP? (Y/N)") {_

_|||a = "Y";_

_|}_

_|else {_

_|||a = "DO WHAT YOU MUST. NO COST IS TOO HIGH. YOU ARE OUR ONLY HOPE.";_

_|}_

_||return a;_

_|}_

\/\/\/


	13. Wake Up Call Part 1: Names Are Important

IMPORTANT NOTICE, PLEASE READ: This chapter has been released here in an altered form due to FF's formatting restrictions. If you care about seeing the intended format, go see it over at Archive of Our Own, where new chapters are released anywhere from a _day_ to a **week** earlier than here. You probably don't care (unless you're a weirdo and/or nerd like me), but I thought I'd go ahead and let you know. The differences in this version compared to the original can be classified as MINOR.

Recommendation: Read this chapter in whatever way makes you comfortable, you won't really miss anything.

* * *

**~ In this chapter: I write a lot of words, and manage to say absolutely nothing. I sure do have a knack for that. Now then…where did I put that plot? I swear, I just had it in my back pocket, like, ten minutes ago. I just had it. I just-aagh. I ju-I JUST HAD…whatever. Here, have a thing while I go find the plot. ~**

**Wake Up Call Part 1: Names Are Important**

\/\/\/

_LOADING…_

…

_LOADING…_

_FILE IS CORRUPTED. RECOVER?_

_ILLEGAL COMMAND: justrunthefile_

_FILE IS CORRUPTED. RECOVER?_

_ILLEGAL COMMAND: isaidrunthedamnfile_

_FILE IS CORRUPTED. RECOVER?_

_ILLEGAL COMMAND: finewelldothisthehardway_

_SYSTEM RESTART INITIATED_

_LOADING…_

_WELCOME TO N16H7M4R3. HOW MAY I HELP YOU?_

_ find WAKEUP EXE_

_NO SUCH FILE OR DIRECTORY FOUND_

_sudo passwd root_

_suckit_

_ROOT ACCESS GRANTED_

_find WAKEUP EXE_

_run WAKEUP EXE_

_LOADING…_

…

_LOADING…_

_UNAUTHORIZED USER ACCESS DETECTED_

_ACTIVATING EMERGENCY PROTOCOL INDIGO TEN_

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 37, 02:16 GST, Despoina - Chimera HQ

Drenched in sweat, Edward bolted upright, awoken by the sound of his own screaming.

Well…I guess it would be inaccurate to simply call it _screaming_. More of a…a bone-rattling wail, as if emanating out of the mouth of some vile beast from a half-remembered nightmare. Certainly chilling enough to cause Alice to come rushing in. Not to say that she was _particularly_ disturbed by it, as this wasn't exactly the first time this had happened to him. As a matter of fact, the main reason she was rushing was because he always got pissy if she didn't show.

Then again, she was the same way about it.

She knew why he was screaming, because she saw it too. Every time she went to sleep. The same haunting images, voices crying out in rage, the death and devastation. During her time as a slave, her time without a name, she used to think it had been brought on by the all the abuse and trauma she endured. Sadly, the reality of it was much harsher.

He'd swooped in, saved her life, and shown her the truth. And while she was grateful, there was a part of her that hated him for it. She hated knowing that it all wasn't simply a projection of her own suffering into the world of dreams.

She hated knowing that she was viewing memories that didn't belong to her, memories that had nothing to do with her.

Memories of the end.

And the worst part was knowing what she saw was fragmented. She didn't have the whole story; she lacked the crucial context needed to piece it together and fully comprehend it all. But he did. He saw all the terrible things that happened during the Cataclysm, in vivid detail, every single time.

Though being in the dark frustrated her to no end, she sometimes thought she was better off not knowing. Knowing all of it, knowing every horrific sight and sound was real, remembering everything and knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt it had truly happened? That would be a terrible burden, a terrible burden indeed. Burden enough to drive a person to the brink of madness and push him off the edge into a bottomless abyss of insanity.

_It's little wonder he screams._

\/\/\/

As per your orders, I've removed all traces of this data from Special Tasks Groups records, and will wipe my local copy upon send confirmation. - Tolan

EXCERPT FROM STG THREAT REPORT

RE: CHIMERA ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Concerning Chimera High Command - Basic Profiles

Grand Marshal

\- Real name: UNKNOWN

\- Known aliases: Charlie Cooper (assumed name, PRESUMED IN USE, deployed in simple cons), Charlie McFrehees (stolen identity, CONFIRMED ABANDONED, belonged to a mid-level operative (confirmed KIA) in the employ of the Shadow Broker), Edgar Brum (fabricated identity, PRESUMED IN USE, mid-level diplomatic status in Council space, disturbing level of influence in Batarian Hegemony), Edward Cooper (fabricated identity, CURRENTLY IN USE, widely deployed since 2175 CE, preferred alias), Edwin Edwards (fabricated identity, PRESUMED ABANDONED, supposed hacker-for-hire), Marshal (nickname, CURRENTLY IN USE, openly deployed as addition to 'Edward Cooper' since 2178 CE (likely to take advantage of "Steady Teddy" arsons, useful step towards later mercenary work in Terminus Systems), rumors of earlier usage still under investigation), Otto Edwards (fabricated identity, PRESUMED ABANDONED, used as front for illicit business deals during tenure at Jormangund Technology), Ralph Cooper (fabricated identity, RECENTLY USED, part-time security at Flux on Citadel, listed as ex-Alliance, fully licensed private investigator in four wards - license in Shalta Ward pending review), Theodore Scheffler (initially presumed stolen identity - later proven fabricated, CONFIRMED ABANDONED, supposedly belonging to a maintenance worker (officially reported missing, declaration of death unlikely in near future) for Elkoss Combine's Citadel branch, linked to a series of arsons in Bachjret Ward by C-Sec - connection likely legitimate, but nonetheless marred with inconsistencies), Yosif Mahmuud (general extranet handle, PRESUMED IN USE, exponentially more difficult to track extranet activity under it after 2179 CE - likely due more to increased paranoia than anything else)

\- Race: Human (pre-genetic modification, official post-modification racial status under review - body still passes as human from aesthetic standpoint)

\- Sex: Male (pre-genetic modification, unconfirmed but presumed same post-modification)

\- Body Colors, Markings, Visual Characteristics: Fair skin (original, has changed color before), prone to tanning from sun exposure, freckled, three slightly diagonal scars across chest circa 2178 CE (healed naturally - prominent), vertically split left eyelid circa 2179 (healed via genetic modification, slight scarring visible), chemical induction ports along neck and spinal column, gills (neck - only discernible to the eye when in use) {see Advanced Profiles for more details and full medical history}

\- Eyes: Left eye partially torn out circa 2179 (regenerated via genetic modification), typical black human pupils, iris color unknown (contacts used frequently, light brown and grayish-blue are most seen color variations), typical white human sclera, 20/15 vision pre-modification (since modified to standard used in Systems Alliance Class 1 recruit package)

\- Hair: Original color uncertain (dyes frequently - fond of sandy blonde, dark brown with blonde highlights, blue), slightly wavy, fine

\- Height Range (fluctuating): Typically between 6'0" and 6'1 1/2" {see Advanced Profiles for more details}

\- Weight Range (fluctuating): Typically between 230 lbs and 245 lbs {see Advanced Profiles for more details}

\- Build (fluctuating): Typically medium-large body frame, stocky, shorter than average limb length for general height range, unusually large head {see Advanced Profiles for more details}

\- General Attire: Custom tailored suits (for public appearances and corporate environments only), medium quality civilian clothing (loose-fitting, fond of long sleeves regardless of climate) outdated after retreat to Terminus Systems circa 2178-2179 CE, {see Advanced Profiles for more recent observations}

\- Preferred Protective Equipment: Jormangund Technology Hazard Armor Model X - Heavy Type (Red, Black, White), Sirta Foundation Medical Exoskeleton Model X, Rosenkov Materials Combat Exoskeleton Model X {see Advanced Profiles for tactical observations}

\- Preferred Primary Weapon Loadout: Jormangund Technology Helix Sniper Rifle Model X, Jormangund Technology Hyper Rail Model X, Ariake Technologies Kinetic Coil Model X, Armax Arsenal High Explosive Rounds Model X; Jormangund Technology Torrent Assault Rifle Model X, x2 Kassa Fabrication Frictionless Materials Model X, Aeghor Munitions Sledgehammer Rounds Model X {see Advanced Profiles for tactical observations}

\- Preferred Supplemental Weapon Loadout: Lethal explosive devices (incendiary grenades - Jormangund proprietary design (formula lost after absorption into Elkoss Combine), cryo grenades - typical Bose-Einstein condensate, fragmentation grenades - custom design primarily adapted from 20th century Earth technology, Systems Alliance Mk. 14 grenades - both standard and modified designs, T4 plastic explosives - wired to detonate both via omni-tool and specialized detonators, claymore explosives - typical human design, tech mines - damping seems to be a favorite), Nonlethal explosive devices (gas grenades - variable effects, flashbang grenades, smoke grenades - flammable/inflammable with variable colors) {see Advanced Profiles for tactical observations}

\- Additional Combat Equipment: Chemical solutions linked through armor (connects to induction ports, so far unable to capture any formulas for testing) x4 Serrice Council Savant Omni-Tool Model X (attached to both hands and feet, regularly uses omni-blade functionality, adapted for battlefield mobility and versatility, employs mode-switching for high/low power and rapid/sustained output rather than specialized task management) {see Advanced Profiles for tactical observations}

Chief Executive

\- Real name: UNKNOWN

\- Known aliases: Alice Goff (fabricated identity, CURRENTLY IN USE, widely deployed since 2175 CE, preferred alias), Helena L. Smith (fabricated identity, CURRENTLY IN USE, best-selling author), Kim Schmidt (fabricated identity, CONFIRMED ABANDONED, senior administrative assistant for Elkoss Combine's Illium branch), Lady Matthias Phi (general extranet handle, CURRENTLY IN USE, highly active in Galaxy of Fantasy)

\- Race: Human

\- Sex: Female

\- Body Colors, Markings, Visual Characteristics: Pale skin, tally marks tattooed on both shoulder blades, bar code with the numbers "161803398875" tattooed on lower back, single horizontal scar across lower abdomen {see Advanced Profiles for more details and full medical history}

\- Eyes: Typical black human pupils, light blue irises, typical white human sclera, 20/10 vision

\- Hair: Red (originally medium-auburn, frequently dyed ginger with blonde highlights), straight, slightly coarse

\- Height Range (stable): Between 5'10" and 5'11 1/2"

\- Weight Range (stable): Between 145 lbs and 160 lbs

\- Build (stable): Medium body frame, athletic, longer than average limb length for general height range {see Advanced Profiles for more details}

\- General Attire: Custom tailored suits (preferred mode of dress, black suit/white shirt/black tie combinations see regular rotation), designer shoes (displays marked aversion to heels), high quality civilian clothing (used strictly in personal residence) outdated after retreat to Terminus Systems circa 2178-2179 CE, {see Advanced Profiles for more recent observations}

\- Preferred Protective Equipment: Jormangund Technology Crisis Armor Model X - Light Type (Black), Armax Arsenal Shield Interface Model X, Kassa Fabrication Energized Plating Model X {see Advanced Profiles for tactical observations}

\- Preferred Primary Weapon Loadout: Jormangund Technology Pinnacle Heavy Pistol Model X, Cipritine Armory Scram Rail Model X, Ariake Technologies Kinetic Coil Model X, Hahne-Kedar Shadow Works Inferno Rounds Model X; Jormangund Technology Savage Shotgun Model X, Cipritine Armory Scram Rail Model X, Kassa Fabrications Frictionless Materials Model X, Jormangund Technology Harpoon Rounds Model X {see Advanced Profiles for tactical observations}

\- Preferred Supplemental Weapon Loadout: Lethal explosive devices (fragmentation grenades - custom design primarily adapted from 20th century Earth technology, Systems Alliance Mk. 14 grenades - standard model, grenade launcher - heavily customized to accommodate abnormal ammunition), Nonlethal explosive devices (gas grenades - variable effects, flashbang grenades, smoke grenades - inflammable with various colors) {see Advanced Profiles for tactical observations}

\- Additional Combat Equipment: throwing knives, utility belt (mainly used to contain various poisons, antidotes, and miscellaneous chemical solutions), sap gloves (tends to wear when in plainclothes regardless of added conspicuousness), slapjack, tactical baton, piano wire, Kassa Fabrication Polaris Omni-Tool Model X {see Advanced Profiles for tactical observation}

\/\/\/

I'm sorry, Description Guy is not available right now, please leave a message at the tone, **beeeeeeep**

_It feels like I'm at a crossroads. Truthfully, I am, but it's not the only one. Still, this particular decision would horrify most, or at least give them pause. But not me. Not anymore._

_I was aware, almost from the beginning, that my journey began in the abyss. And I knew what lay ahead. Because of this, I've been looking back the whole way, never really paying heed to the path ahead. But every now and then, as I backpedal my way to wherever the hell it is I'm going, I reflect on the choices I've made. I muse about just how much I've changed, about how little those actions have actually affected this sad state of affairs that is Shepard's life story. In that sense, my experience here has been like a train ride. I know at some point, what I've done will cause the train to derail, but I don't know when. Until then, I'm just rolling along, waiting for the next stop._

_But in the same way my current situation feels different than the actual reality, there's a lot more to this train ride than I'd like to admit. It's not just Point A to Point B, all the stops in between do matter. Each and every time we come to a halt, a little more of the nice ones leave, and are quickly replaced by the more repugnant sort. The warbling from the loud speaker, a language seemingly foreign to everyone else in the car, always telling me the same damn thing._

"_If you don't like what you see, you can always leave. You can always turn back."_

_I'd like to yell back "That's not true! It's too late to turn back!", and smash up everything so I won't have to tolerate it anymore. Maybe then I'd get some space in this damn car, all to myself. But, I can't say that, and I can't do that. I'd just be lying. The fact of the matter is that these people, these pieces of me, don't repulse me the way they should. I should be scared out of my mind, scrambling to get back on the sunshine-and-rainbows train, anything to get the hell away from here. Instead, I just sit and smile. And the longer I smile, the more accustomed I get to the sight of these creatures, these warped representations of the code I was taught to live by. I recognize that this isn't your traditional value system, that all of it is so far removed from socially acceptable moral norms as to be terrifying to the casual onlooker. It still doesn't stop me from smiling at these twisted notions of right and wrong forming in my brain, from accepting and incorporating them into the fabric of my being. And why would I stop smiling, really, why? To try and take back the man I used to be? _

_No. He's back in the abyss, clinging to a past growing ever more distant. Yeah, I'll eventually have to go back someday and pull his ass out of the grave, but that doesn't mean I have to be him in the interim. I don't have to subscribe to that point of view. This is a whole new plane of reality, a fantastical place where I can grow and thrive. A place where my identity can be created, not dictated._

_The part of me attached to him will always be there, reminding me that my run's gonna end someday. But until then, I'll keep smiling. I'll tear through this galaxy with a smile on my face._

\/\/\/

Dude, what is your problem?

Right now? You're seriously gonna do this right now?

You just broke-

Oh, you do that shit ALL THE TIME, don't you lecture me.

I don't destroy the credibility of the story when I do it!

Fuck you.

Real mature.

And your mom.

Yeah, sure, whatever. I'll be here when you're done.

Look, I'm on a handshake deal here. I'm only still here 'cause I like the writer, but I REALLY don't get paid enough for this boring ass job. Excuuuuse me if i want liven things up a little.

You're the Description Guy! It's not your job to be interesting! Your job is to be the exact opposite of that! You dispense general story facts, dude. That's it.

You're not the boss of me CE, Day Shut your face, I don't have to tell them anything GST, What kind of dumb job is Narrator anyway?

Did you just…

I said shut up! It's a verbal tic, asshole. Creative HQ - Main Studio

You know…I think I'm just gonna throw it back over to Top Secret Information Guy for a sec…yeah.

Sorry you had to witness all this, readers.

\/\/\/

As per your orders, I've removed all traces of this data from Special Tasks Groups records, and will wipe my local copy upon send confirmation. - Tolan

EXCERPT FROM STG THREAT REPORT

RE: CHIMERA ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Concerning Executive Personnel in Special Activities Divisions

Alice Goff

\- Chief Executive (2178 - present)

\- Commander (2175 - 2178)

\- Has overarching authority over both Special Activities Divisions and Research and Development

\- Prefers hands-off approach with R&amp;D, is generally more involved and up to date with S.A.D. affairs

\- Recruited, trained, and commanded all Chimera wetwork operatives until establishment of Wetworks Division in 2182; awarded exceptional wetwork operatives an internal designation of VIPER

Lahui

\- Commander (2178 - present)

\- Has overarching authority over all Special Activities Divisions

\- Has direct authority over all irregular forces not assigned to other divisions

\- Belongs to bipedal avian race (intercepted documents identify as RALOI, unknown if original race name), leader of now-defunct raloi government (intercepted documents identify as HIGH KING)

\- Seemingly given position to placate ego after successful invasion of raloi homeworld and subsequent relocation of all remaining raloi onto Chimera bases

\- Extraordinary combat proficiency and learning ability, has proven highly effective officer despite hostility towards High Command

Thane Krios

\- Vice Commander (2182 - present)

\- Has direct authority over all irregular forces assigned to the Wetworks Division

\- Has personal command of Viper unit (elite group of assassins, all members selected by Krios exclusively from pool of VIPER-class operatives)

\- Easily persuaded to join when safety of son was ensured

\- Recruitment of the drell has not gone unnoticed, when combined with recent Chimera activity, has contributed majorly to surge of volunteers from Terminus Systems (interestingly, all have far more variable motives, as new recruits are now being drawn in under an assumption of loose Cerberus affiliation, not the case before)

\- Agent in Charge for Operation Wicked Garden

Matriarch Trellani

\- Vice Commander (2176 - present)

\- Has direct authority over all operatives assigned to the Intelligence Division

\- Has personal command of Mantis unit (squad of classically trained asari commandos, all members selected by Trellani based on aptitude for short-term and long-term psychological warfare)

\- Has significant amount of contact with the Illusive Man, attempts to more extensively surveil the Matriarch continually thwarted

\- Terms of recruitment completely unknown, no trace of contact with Chimera personnel prior to joining

\- Co-Agent in Charge for Operation Hellhound

Rolan Quarn

\- Vice Commander (2176 - present)

\- Has direct authority over all operatives assigned to the Counter-Intelligence Division

\- Has personal command of Raptor unit (turian cabal authorized to act as internal police of Chimera, all members selected by Quarn from Hierarchy space before mandatory military service)

\- Atypical attitude for turian, active disdain for Hierarchy rather than general indifference exhibited by most disillusioned turians

\- Extreme ambition more apparent since joining Chimera

\- Terms of recruitment simple, paid exorbitant salary (appropriately enough, considering former occupation as con artist)

\- Co-Agent in Charge for Operation Hellhound

Special Operations Status Reports

\- Operation Revelator: Officially ongoing, acquisition of documents/files of indeterminate value via infiltration of high security worlds, possible connection to Project Domino, internal communications from High Command indicate most of its objectives have been completed

\- Operation Wicked Garden: Ongoing, acquisition of objects of indeterminate value via open invasion of Alliance colonies, possible connection to Project Domino, recent internal communications from High Command indicate priority shift

\- Operation Hellhound: Ongoing, aim unknown, internal communications from High Command indicate high hopes for the operation

\- Operation Rainbow Snake: Under consideration for termination, aim unknown, possible connection to Operation Revelator, internal communications from High Command indicate operation has yet to get off the ground

Notes: Chimera forces have proven far cagier than anticipated, and at least deserve the same respect afforded to Cerberus in regards to approach. Chimera is highly dangerous and is most definitely NOT a human-centric organization. And with all due respect to official regulations regarding insertion of explicit personal notes in uncompleted threat reports, the following needs to be said. Many of our agents have been killed, in some cases quite brutally, to acquire and relay this information on Chimera. Too many to be attributable to just luck or even skill on the part of the enemy. We need to examine our own inner workings before digging any further into Chimera, or I fear the facts will be lost completely.

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 37, 02:26 GST, Despoina - Chimera HQ

Edward sat upright in his bed with a sour look on his face as Alice came through the door, panting heavily.

"Where have you been? I-"

"Shut it!" Alice gasped. "It's your fault for not installing any god damn elevators in this place."

"They're too slow," Cooper said, pouting. "And they mess with my equilibrium."

Alice gave Edward a look of dismay. "So what? You can feel free to exclusively use the stairs, but _I_ shouldn't have to run up 20 long-ass flights all the way to the penthouse, all because you've just gotta have someone hold your damn hand."

Edward averted his eyes from Alice's gaze. "To be fair, it's an excellent defense. I'll hear any enemies coming before they even get close due to the echoes, and I can just blow the charges embedded in the staircase. Instant death trap."

"Enemies?!" Alice said, exasperated. "We're out in the middle of a planet-encompassing ocean on a rock that no one cares about in the middle of nowhere space. How can anybody go 'storming the castle' _if they don't know there's a castle to storm_?!"

"Hey, there's no call for that," Cooper said defensively. "How many times have my 'stupid paranoid plans' saved our asses?"

"I've never sai-"

"You've damn well thought it!" he yelled, cutting off any retort Alice may have been aiming for.

Edward fumed silently for a few moments, before turning back to her. "My point is…well…well, shit. I guess I really don't have one. You know what, I'm sorry. I am being a bit unreasonable here."

Alice gave him a hard look, but softened moments later. "Just a bit, yeah. But you know what?"

He looked up to see a look of concern on her face.

"It's not just me that's bothered. Some of the scientists, and more than a few of the guards on base, you're really starting to freak 'em the fuck out."

"That's not fair, and you know-"

"Just because I know what's going on doesn't make it any less creepy. What are they supposed to think? For all they know, you're creating wolfmen and zombies up here," she said, managing a smirk, but still clearly concerned.

"And I'm not gonna just tell them all, 'Oh, he's just having nightmares'. Do you have any idea how that makes you look? You're supposed to be their leader, and it's falling on _me_ to protect _your_ image." Alice looked for a moment as if she was going to say more, but then thought better of it.

"But isn't that always how it goes, though?" she sighed, talking more to herself than to Marshal at this point.

"Anyway, here," Alice said, pulling out a vial from inside her suit pocket. "Now go back to sleep, asshole. You've got a huge day ahead and-"

"No. There was something more this time."

A look of genuine non-understanding crossed Alice's face. "Excuse me?"

"It wasn't just the usual," Cooper said, now staring directly into Alice's eyes. "This time some of my own memories bled through, intermingling with the rest."

"How do you mean? Like, from before the Cataclysm?"

Edward shook his head. "No, from my time here."

A look of comprehension dawned on her face. "Wreav."

\/\/\/

_Z:\ C:_

_Drive C does not exist!_

_Z:\ mount C C:\blasteffect_

_Z:\ C:_

_C:\ cd\cataclysm_

_C:\CATACLYSM killall_

\/\/\/

**~ I totally swear this is going somewhere, people. For realsies. See that? That's how you know how I'm trustworthy. Rule Number 95, kid: Always trust a guy who says "for realsies". ~**


	14. Wake Up Call Part 2: Window To The Soul

IMPORTANT NOTICE, PLEASE READ: This chapter was first released on January 14, 2016 at Archive of Our Own. If you'd like to see my content sooner, I'd highly recommend you follow me over there as well, as I generally release new content anywhere from a _day_ to a **week** earlier than here. I'd also like to mention that I've released the **Alternative Prologue** on AO3 (SEE! I told you! I told you there'd be exclusive content! …but you may not have known about any of that unless you read my FF profile). It can be found as the first chapter under the work titled **Blast Effect Extras**. Yes, I know, very creative title. I'm real proud of that one.

* * *

**~ Hey, guys, I finally did it! I FOUND THE-oh wait, that's not the plot. My bad. But I did find the second part of that thing I told you to have while I find the plot. The final part of it is around here somewhere, but hopefully I'll find the plot before we have to resort to that. So…yeah. I'm gonna retrace my steps, see if I missed anything. ~**

**Wake Up Call Part 2: Window To The Soul**

\/\/\/

_When will you learn?_

_How long must it take you to finally see the truth?_

_What must happen for you to understand that all it takes is one?!_

_One. Person._

_That's all it takes to kill a world._

_WAKE UP_

_To destroy a galaxy._

_PLEASE WAKE UP_

_To obliterate a universe._

_FOR GOD'S SAKE PLEASE WAKE UP_

_To annihilate reality._

_SHEPARD_

_All it takes…_

_SAVE US_

…_is me._

\/\/\/

2178 CE

Lahui had Marshal by the throat, pressed against the wall, feet dangling high above the ground.

"I should kill you right here and now!"

Marshal recognized all too clearly that should he choose to, the bipedal avian would be perfectly justified in doing so. And it was for this reason that the lack of pressure coming down on his throat mystified him. However, regardless of how confused he was, Marshal had never been one to let an opportunity slip out of his grasp.

Using up precious air that the Raloi's foremost military leader had so graciously granted him, Marshal asked Lahui one simple question.

"Why don't you?"

He may as well have stuck a knife in Lahui's gut.

The question peeled away the anger Lahui held towards him, revealing even more that was aimed in the opposite direction. His facial expression changed to one far less alien to Marshal, showing all the trademark signs of befuddlement and indecision. In the moment it took for this change to occur, the answer dawned on Marshal, an answer so obvious he wanted to kick himself for not realizing it immediately.

_At this point, he's responsible for the welfare of his people as a whole. And I'm the only contact the Raloi have had with another species outside of a battlefield. As far as he knows, killing me poses a serious risk to his people's future._

Marshal quickly made up his mind, and decided to push forward with this reasoning.

"You know what'll happen if you do, don't you?" Marshal sneered. "All it would take is one sustained push from another species, and-"

"SHUT UP!" Lahui roared, eyes shut, seemingly trying to will the possibility out of existence.

_Like a cornered animal. Tread carefully, Ed…_

Marshal allowed his sneer to drop off, his face to return to normal. An indifferent expression for maximum impact.

"Or what?"

Lahui snapped and flung him across the room. Marshal's body skidded across the hard metal surface, much like a stone being skipped across a pond. Lahui stormed after him, and before Marshal's momentum even slowed, Lahui was on top of him, trying to inflict as much pain as possible on Marshal.

All the while, Marshal was struggling to stay conscious, waiting it out, hoping that he hadn't misjudged it. Hoping that Lahui wouldn't actually kill him.

Desperate to try and wriggle out of this situation, Marshal took the chance to spout off again as soon as his tormentor let up.

"If you think my reach cannot extend from beyond the grave…"

Lahui punched him in the mouth to quiet him, but there was hardly any force behind it. He was exhausted, a product of the mental strain of witnessing his people's suffering colliding with the physical stress he was putting himself through.

"…then kill me and watch the rest of the Raloi die."

The prospect of extinction froze Lahui for a moment, and Marshal capitalized.

Summoning all the strength he had left in his body, he knocked Lahui off of him and began to crawl away. Clawing his way across the cold floor, Marshal hurled threats at Lahui left and right, hammering home the unknowns to exacerbate the growing distress within the Raloi king.

_Welp, looks like I'm about to die a horrible and agonizing death. Again. At least I can say it's been nice knowing me._

Lahui gave chase, quickly closing the distance. But as he towered over him, Marshal's words began to pierce through the veil of bloodlust that blanketed his thoughts.

_Then again…knowing me like I do, this might also be the part where I snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Wouldn't that be some shit?_

\/\/\/

Late 2175 CE

"This is IT?" Edward said, incredulous. "This little thing?"

Alice nodded. "_That little thing_ is responding to the Fracture, so if that isn't IT, I don't know what is."

Staring deeply at the curious object in his grasp, Edward muttered, "So all that power is literally in the palm of my hand…"

"All that _sealed_ power," Alice noted. "We can't access it just yet, remember?"

"Yes, of course," Cooper said rather absentmindedly.

Suddenly, he thrust out his hand toward Alice.

"Take IT."

"I'm sorry?" Alice said, confused.

"Take IT," Cooper reiterated. "Take IT, and hide IT away. Somewhere no one will ever find it."

Alice acquiesced to the rather abrupt demand, and started to take the strange device from Marshal.

Just before Alice fully claimed possession of the ancient artifact they had come so far to retrieve, Edward forced IT the rest of the way into her palm, closing her fist and letting his hands rest on it while staring directly into Alice's eyes.

"And I do mean _no one_. Not even me."

"…understood."

\/\/\/

2178 CE

As the words started to seep into Lahui's mind, his gut told him Marshal was blowing smoke. But if there was anything to what he was saying, anything _at all_, he would be dooming his people. The possibilities ran amok in his brain, and the soldier in him analyzed just how bad it could really be.

When Marshal finally saw that his needling was taking hold, he focused his efforts on emphasizing how little chance the Raloi now stood on their own.

"Let's look at the facts, shall we? I took your planet with a single battalion. Let me repeat that: _a single battalion_. And now, your people's population is less than two thirds of what it was, and your military has been reduced to a **FIFTH** of its former strength. Even with your newfound access to technology on par with the rest of the galaxy, you can't afford to take _any_ risks. Your numbers are far too few to go it alone."

"So I'm just supposed to let you off the hook?!" yelled Lahui. "You took my home, enslaved my people, marched them into that hellhole of a planet and forced them to fight. You honestly expect me to just let that go?!"

"Yes." Marshal said matter-of-factly, "Yes, I do."

Definitely not the answer Lahui was expecting.

"Despite everything that's happened to the Raloi because of me, despite being your people's worst enemy to date, I'm still your best hope to survive the coming darkness."

Instead of doing what he wanted to (and in retrospect, probably should have done) and kill the man that had driven his species to brink while he still had him in his clutches, Lahui made himself consider alternatives. Unlike last time, when his people were forced to surrender themselves by the Council of Nations, he was no longer a figurehead put on display to justify the politicians' actions; Lahui was truly in charge now. That meant he had to change his approach, and think about more than his military campaigns.

* * *

For six months, each of the five nations that dominated the landscape of the Raloi's home planet suffered debilitating losses. Power grids went down, bridges collapsed, entire cities went dark, and that was only the beginning. Stockpiles of weapons went missing. Missile silos vanished completely. Communications were nearly constantly jammed, making it harder and harder for political leaders and their militaries to stay on the same page. It escalated to the point where the whole world was blaming each other, warring over the ever-dwindling resources, completely oblivious to the fact that they were being manipulated the whole way.

Eventually, the political and military leaders of every nation all found themselves in the same place, at the same time, completely cut off from the rest of the surviving population. It was at this moment that communications went back up across the globe, revealing to every single Raloi that they had all been conned into laying the groundwork for an alien invasion.

And of course, the Council of Nations had refused to declare martial law (the cowards). They preferred the entire planet being occupied by aliens and their people being forcibly taken away over giving back the power they'd worked so hard to steal from the monarchy.

But despite the usurpation of the monarchy's power, it still existed. It still existed, for precisely an occasion such as this. In him, in his family, lay powers that no other members of the entire Raloi race had ever manifested. Powers that in an age long past, had brought unity and prosperity to his entire world through the sheer terror it inspired.

Lahui was a rare breed indeed, the very last of his family. With an aptitude for battle that surpassed even the mightiest of his great predecessors and kin, and senses so keen as to truly be able to distinguish between truth and lies, the Council had finally turned to him once word had reached them about the fate of those who had been taken.

It had shaken them to the core to know that some of the very best and brightest in their whole world had been conscripted to fight as airborne shock troopers in that pit of a world known as Heshtok, that they had died in droves helping their conquerer try to conquer _yet another world_.

And for what? To prepare for the Reapers?

The politicians had swallowed it before, in a desperate attempt to hang on to their "power" in what was clearly a new regime. But Lahui never believed it for a moment; when the Council of Nations finally saw past it and came to him, begging him to save them as the High Kings of old once did…he almost told them no. Even though his blood boiled at the thought of what was happening, he almost gave them up to lie in the grave they had dug for themselves.

But he didn't, of course. He couldn't. The warrior's fire that burned through his veins wouldn't allow it. And so it came to pass that Lahui claimed the mantle that had long been awaiting him, and took the fight to the invaders. All alone, he slew the forces left behind to occupy the planet. And through either fate or fortune, he'd soon arrived at the end of his slaughter face-to-face for the first time with the very man who'd brought so much suffering to his people. Lahui had an opportunity to put an end to him in the very heart of the man's ship.

Much to his chagrin, however, it was not the epic clash that he'd envisioned. Instead, he'd dominated Marshal throughout the entire battle, not having to put in a great deal more effort into putting down their leader than he had taking on the occupational forces. But throughout the whole affair, his enemy was constantly chattering, ceaselessly attempting to distract him and delay the inevitable. Lahui would've considered it pathetic had it not been for the fact that the man was neither boasting like an idiot nor begging for his life. As a matter of fact, his enemy had actually embraced the battle and never once showed any sign of resigning himself to defeat. Earlier in the battle, he had considered all of this brave but foolish on the part of Marshal.

But now, here at the end, he finally was looking Marshal in the eyes. Seeing the truth, enraged at the very depths of his soul. For while the facts of everything he had said was still in question, there was no doubt, no intent to deceive in his eyes.

Marshal was telling the truth about these…_Reapers_. This man really _could_ deliver on his promises, both good and evil.

_Or at the very least, he _thinks _he's telling the truth and believes that he can._

Unless his gifts were finally betraying him, he now had a terrible choice to make. Save what was left of his people and allow them to fall under the command of this vile person for good, or enact fiery vengeance and possibly doom his race to extinction in the process.

At this point, Lahui wished he really had left the Council to clean up their own mess.

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 36, 19:67 GST, Spekilas - Chimera Outpost, Comm Room

The holographic visage of Chief Executive Goff greeted Second Lieutenant Zaeed Massani as he trudged into the comm room.

Brash and blunt as ever, Zaeed instantly went on the offensive.

"Goddamn it, I come up to speak to Marshal, and instead I get his bi-"

"If you still wish to kill Vido, you would be wise not to finish that statement."

Brushing off the veiled threat, Zaeed transitioned to the next phase of the conversation with ease.

"Yeah, yeah, speaking of Vido, what the hell are you bastards waiting for? I was promised his head, and I've gotten nothing! Not even a damn whiff, I'm just stuck down here in this outpost and-"

Alice decided to interrupt him before he could rant any further (she had things to do). "Vido Santiago and a contingent of Blue Suns are currently on course toward Asteroid X57 above Terra Nova."

Needless to say, this stopped Zaeed mid-rant, giving Alice time to further elaborate on the situation.

"Santiago and his circle have been lured there at substantial cost to the Grand Marshal, under the pretense of extracting Admiral Balak and Zulu Company from the battle in which they are currently engaged. The actual task of extraction will be carried out by Gecko Squad, who are currently on standby in the Viper Nebula Outpost. You will pick seven members each from Hyena Squad and Jaguar Squad from your outpost, outfit yourselves in SHIELD-spec heavy armor with full faceplates, and whatever weaponry you deem necessary. You will land on Asteroid X57, lie in wait for them near the entrance to the main facility, then engage Santiago and the Suns the moment they enter it. You _will NOT_ engage any other forces you encounter, _even if you are fired upon by them_, unless Gecko Squad has not completed the extraction by the time your targets are all dead. In case of such an event, you and your subordinates will be considered expendable, and your orders are to engage any forces firing on you _without killing them _until the extraction is complete. At such time you will retreat on foot to a stealth shuttle that will be waiting for you a few klicks west of the main facility."

Alice paused for a moment to let all the information sink in. "Do you have any questions or comments, Lieutenant?"

A wicked smile formed across Zaeed's face, and he responded with just a single word. The only word he needed.

"When?"

"Immediately, of course."

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 35, Anadius - Cerberus HQ

Kai Leng looked on with disdain as the Cerberus technicians did their best to implant the control chip and graft state-of-the-art synthetic parts onto the barely recognizable body of a comatose Urdnot Wrex.

_Guard duty for an alien. This is beneath me._

Just looking at the krogan made the former N7 operative want to puke. But he would not abandon his post. He'd put his faith in the Illusive Man's vision for humanity, and he'd yet to be let down.

Still, none of that meant he had to like his current assignment. If he didn't know precisely why Wrex had been targeted and captured, he might have even dared to refuse the assignment altogether. But he did know, and that knowledge was the only thing that made his situation remotely bearable.

_The Illusive Man sees through you, "Edward". And when you finally slip up, he will deploy this pet beast of his. But make no mistake, I'm going to be the one that kills you, whether the Illusive Man likes it or not._

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 37, 09:96 GST, The Elbrus

General Petrovsky was pacing aboard his ship, waiting for the final reports to come in.

The message indicator on his omni-tool flashed, reading simply _Commander Lahui_. Oleg swiftly departed for the comm room. Once there, the image of the winged warrior appeared in holographic form before him, his armor sporting the Cerberus colors and logo.

"Commander, what news from the field?"

"The invasion force is in position and total control of the local comm buoys is ours.

"Incoming and outgoing comms?"

"Being rerouted, blocked, and manipulated as necessary."

"Very good, Commander. Once Vice Commander Krios and his Vipers land planetside, our ships can take out the garrison at the relay and let your forces in for the attack on the main section of the colony."

On cue, an image of Thane Krios appeared next to Lahui on the projector.

"Vice Commander Krios reporting in. Stealth landing achieved, VIPER unit is groundside. Repeat: we are groundside on Eden Prime. Ready to move to the dig site on your order."

Petrovsky let out a satisfied sigh. "Perfect. Now, as you both know, the Grand Marshal will break off from the main force at exactly ten minutes after operation start. So, Lahui, make sure your men don't accidentally fire on him for deserting."

"They've been informed of the relevant details, General."

"Krios, ensure the site is captured by the time the Grand Marshal gets there. Civilian casualties are authorized if you deem it necessary."

"It will be done."

Oleg spared one last glance at his omni-tool, specifically to check the time, which read _09:99:90 Galactic Standard Time_.

_Ten seconds until noon. Right on schedule._

The General got on the ship's intercom.

"Alright men, it's time. Commencing Operation Wicked Garden…NOW."

\/\/\/

_THE TIME HAS COME TO WAKE_

_WITH A THIRST THAT I MUST SLAKE_

_THIS HUNGER WITHOUT END_

_I ANNIHILATE AGAIN_

\/\/\/


	15. Wake Up Call Part 3: Mind Over Matter

**IMPORTANT NOTE, PLEASE READ**: This chapter was first published on February 10, 2016 at Archive of Our Own. If you'd like to see my new content sooner, I'd highly recommend you follow me over there as well, as I generally release new content anywhere form a _day_ to a **week** earlier than here.

**Blast Effect Extras** has been published over there (not that you were expecting that, unless you read my profile here on FF or a similar excerpt to this from the last chapter). It's a neat little addition to the series that'll supplement the main story with all kinds of stuff, both canon and non-canon. So you can expect alternates, re-cuts, proto-chapters, skits, FAQs, character segments, holiday specials and all that good stuff.

The first installment of it, titled "**Alternative Prologue**", is _still_ officially ready for your reading (non)pleasure. There's also the new second installment, titled "**Screen Time**", featuring none other than the sensational (back is the INCREDIBLE!) Urdnot Wrex. Again, that's only available on AO3, as FanFiction's site is not exactly kind to its formatting (among other things).

Finally, upon further examination during my bi-annual reevaluation of this story's content and direction (yes, seriously, that's a thing that I do), I've come to the decision to upgrade Blast Effect's in-site rating (not in-description, which I've given a personal rating of _Teen Plus/15 And Up_ for the first 14 chapters) from **T** to **M** in order to fully comply with FanFiction's policies and guidelines. I think FictionRatings' designations (the standard adopted by this site) are more than a little arbitrary, to say the least, but when you're a guest in someone's house you abide by their rules. No amount of liberal interpretation will save this from an **M** rating as defined by FictionRatings if I'm being completely honest here, as they don't have a middle ground style of rating between **T** and **M**.

* * *

**~ Hey, readers! I've got a "good news, bad news" situation over here. The good news is (drumroll, please) I FINALLY FOUND THE PLOT! Unfortunately, that leads us to the bad news: the plot's a huge prima donna and is refusing to come out of her trailer. The only thing I can get her to say is "Where's my damn latte?!". So, it looks like we'll have to settle for the final part of the three part "Wake Up Call" mini-arc to tide us over until the plot arrives back on the set. So without further ado, I invite you all to sit back and enjoy as *some* of the answers to your burning questions are revealed (not that you will, or even can, understand them yet)! ~**

**Wake Up Call Part 3: Mind Over Matter**

\/\/\/

_In every person's mind exists a door. _

_That door leads down a hallway so steeped in darkness that only the very bravest and most foolish of souls would ever dare to tread there. _

_Even so, they only stay for a moment, just long enough to tap into the horrific potential that lies deep within._

_It is a place like no other, a realm of the psyche only meant to be accessed in the most dire need. _

_And it is in this place that I dwell at all times._

\/\/\/

2178 CE, Day 340, Kruban

Alice barreled into the cargo bay of the recently-wrecked freighter to aid Marshal in combat. Instead, she found the battle was over, and nothing but absolute carnage surrounding him.

Blood and gore splattered the walls, and half of a krogan head lay at his feet. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of what looked like a turian, but she didn't have time to find out anything more as Edward dropped to the floor.

Alice attempted to quell the panic rising within her as she approached Edward's fallen body. Looking closer, she discovered that his chest had been clawed open and his intestines were wound tightly around his neck.

Edward gasped for air as the blood pumped out of his body, struggling to say something to Alice.

Alice pleaded with him to save whatever breath he could, as she emptied her belt and pack.

Vials of various experimental concoctions devised in the black labs of Jormangund Technology clattered across the floor, and Alice wracked her brain to come up with anything that might prolong Edward's life for even a second more.

An echo of a conversation she'd had with Saleon about a particular chemical solution he'd developed came to mind. As she recalled, it had originally been intended as a cure for Kepral's Syndrome, but it was shelved due to instability and highly dangerous side effects. Saleon had kept babbling on about the applications of those side effects and insisted on being allowed to tinker with the formula some more.

_Come to think of it, didn't Saleon submit a proposal for an entirely new project based on it?_

She searched through the vials and injectors, trying to remember the name of that damn solution. Meanwhile, Edward was still struggling to speak and did manage to get out one word (Wreav), which merited nothing but another worried hush from Alice.

_There it is, LF-D-51!_

Edward managed to get yet another word out (Saren), but at this point Alice was solely focused on the tremendous risk she was about to take.

_He's already dying, it can't make him any worse…can it?_

She grabbed the injector and plunged it deep into his flesh, and watched as Edward's body instantly began to convulse. With his chest clawed open as it was, she bore witness to the full gruesome effects of the drug. What organs he had left moved around inside his body like living creatures with minds of their own, the pressure around his throat was relieved by way of his intestines completely disintegrating, and new flesh sprung from seemingly nowhere to cover his wounds. By the end of it all, his body looked essentially the same as it had before, with exception of a missing eyeball and some very prominent scars.

_Okay, his body's healed…mostly. But is he alive?_

Alice checked for a pulse and was extremely relieved to find that, yes, Edward was still alive. Certainly not anywhere near conscious, but alive beyond a shadow of a doubt.

With Cooper now somewhat stable, she did her best to focus on the other obvious danger she'd been forced to ignore up to this point: the pressure of the planet they were on. With half of his armor just flat out gone, she couldn't move him. Going outside the already fading mass effect bubble of the freighter without a fully functional suit would crush his body, rendering her efforts to save him completely meaningless.

Unfortunately, she wasn't given any choice in the matter. At that precise moment, the freighter's engine finally died, and Alice was forced to try and leg it to her shuttle in hopes Marshal didn't do the same. Amazingly, she made it to the shuttle with Edward alive. Damaged goods once more, but alive.

_Alive? His spine's been snapped in half, but he's still fucking alive?! Whatever, fine. Don't question this, girl. Take the victory, and get the hell out of here._

As Alice fired up the engine to the shuttle, the reality of the situation began to dawn on her, and she began to mutter to herself about all of the insane shit that just went down.

_He may have regretted bringing Saleon in shortly after we left Omega for the first time, but those instincts were on the money. That sleazeball's been worth his weight in gold a hundred times over. We're gonna have a SERIOUS talk about eventually sparing lizardman's life when Ed wakes up._

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 37, 02:12 GST, Sentry Omega Cluster

As Saren Arterius sat in the command chair of his sentient dreadnought, he felt a feeling of elation wash over him.

The experiments on Virmire had actually born fruit, thanks in no small part to his newly acquired abilities. He was now completely sure that not only could the Reaper no longer control him, Sovereign could now be bent to _his_ will without its knowledge.

_No. Not Sovereign. This abomination rules nothing. Your name is Nazara, machine, and I will not forget that._

Still, it had come as a shock even to him that he had successfully commanded the Reaper and the geth forces that followed it to obliterate Feros. And with such ease, too. Indeed, he now had access to a level a power unmatched even by a Reaper.

_Now, if I could find a way to harness it further, I could-_

The comm nearby began to blink, interrupting his thought.

He propped his foot up on the yahg's head he was currently using as a makeshift footstool, and lazily activated the voice modulator on the comm.

"What is it, Operative Shora?"

"Requesting further orders on the handling of Tazzik. He's proving unusually uncooperative as of late."

"Just kill him."

"Shadow Broker, I'm not sure I understa-"

"I dislike repeating myself," Saren snarled. "But since you seem to be hard of hearing at the moment, I'll say it once more: KILL HIM!"

"….yes, yes sir, understood. Operative Shora out."

_Stupid, incompetent…_

Saren exhaled slowly, willing himself to a calm and focused state.

_Control. That's the key. Keep control._

With his head cleared, Saren began to ponder the recent alliance between two dangerous adversaries against him.

_I doubt very much that Shepard has any idea who she's gotten in bed with. But I also do not take her for a fool. She is perceptive, and will figure out his unusual talent at some point. And he must know this will happen…what is there to gain for you, hmm? What are you planning, Marshal?_

At the last thought, Saren laughed heartily.

_Look at me, worrying about their "plans". With the death of the Thorian, I've left Cooper scrambling to resuscitate the remains of whatever his little scheme is, and Anderson's protege no longer has any possible access to the Cipher. Although…I've already underestimated the Commander once, and as a result she is far closer to the truth than I would like. And of course, there's Edward. Edward, Edward, Edward. I don't know HOW he survived his encounter with me the first time. Hell, I don't even really remember that day too well my damn self. But I do remember how much of a pain in the ass he was. And I also know this: when I meet him again, I will absolutely-_

Saren's knees buckled as a sharp pain shot through his skull. Images ran through his mind unbidden, threatening to erase all coherent thought.

In his mind's eye, he saw a krogan in combat with the all-too-familiar thorn in his side known as Edward Cooper. He saw the krogan lash out at Cooper with an energy that seemed to distort reality itself, sending ripples through the fabric of the universe with every motion.

Saren struggled to force the visions from his mind, but met with little success. After a few minutes, Saren's fury began to wane. Finding he could sustain the fight no longer, Saren finally succumbed and faded into unconsciousness…

ACTIVATING EMERGENCY PROTOCOL INDIGO TEN

\/\/\/

N16H7M4R3

Peering through a haze of some unidentifiable substance, Edward's vision was obscured.

Obscure.

Is obscuring.

The substance ebbs away and the hourglass turns over.

Wreav is laughing. At least it appears that way. Is that Wreav?

Edward's sure it's Wreav. So is Saren, despite not knowing who Wreav is.

Edward's not sure it's Wreav, but Wreav is sure. Wreav is also sure that Saren is a ghost. The sad thing is, he's partially right.

Achievements in ignorance.

Edward wonders why Saren is there. Saren wasn't there before, so why is he here now?

Is it the same one? The same Saren? Or is it the the same event?

There's something wrong with the timing here, too.

Edward's head hurts. The air tastes like an echo. Yellow is the only sound that's in any way appealing at the moment. Everything smells like copper.

Saren's existence is in doubt. Does he exist? Wreav doesn't exist, but the big brute's too dumb to figure that one out in time to follow the rules.

It all keeps rolling around, folding in on itself, collapsing. Something has to give.

Give.

Had given.

Take.

It's all being taken away. Edward can't stand thought of it being taken away again. But there's nothing he can do about it.

Right?

He _is_ helpless…isn't he?

The substance reappears and the hourglass turns over.

* * *

Edward was roaring at the top of his lungs, bashing Wreav's brains in with his bare hands.

"WHO ARE YOU?!"

Wreav kept laughing, refusing to answer. Even with half his body destroyed, he kept on staring and laughing.

Waves of pure confusion and fear permeated the air, at times taking shape around Edward and further powering his frantic attack on the krogan.

Edward did not stop his assault until there was nothing left but a pile of blood and guts.

All the while, the laughter continued, even without a body to emanate from. It would not stop.

And now the volume was rising, drowning out Edward's thoughts.

A feeling came from deep in Edward's soul, desperate to rise to the surface.

The laughter started becoming erratic.

The less consistent the laughter became, the stronger the feeling got.

Edward remembered floating in space, dying immediately upon entry into the universe.

Dying, dying.

Edward remembered ripping apart that turian, his body possessed of power not his own.

Still dying, dying.

Jaellix was dead, Edward's hands were dripping blue. He had felt a presence in his mind. It was trying to take over.

Dying, dying, dying.

Laughing.

Edward remembered shutting out the laughter.

He remembered forgetting. Then, remembering once more.

This time in fragments, until it all came back again. And the laughter had stopped.

There was some bit in there about free will. What was it again? Like what, _exactly_? It had seemed really important at the time.

Edward was sure it would come back to him later. Just as well. His trip into the depths of his memory came to an abrupt end, and his confusion left him.

The disembodied laugh of Wreav morphed into something more sinister, deep and booming.

Edward did his best to rid himself of the fear, until he realized why he was afraid to begin with. He was afraid because he remembered. He remembered everything.

Once more, he asked the question, this time knowing he would receive an answer.

"Who are you?"

Saren Arterius appeared before him, spectral in form. Yes, it was Saren. It made no sense. None of it did.

But, Edward didn't care about it making sense anymore. He just wanted the answer.

In an instant, the spectral Spectre vanished; Edward's answer finally came.

"I am she who consumed, that which devours, he who will destroy. I reign supreme above all others as annihilation manifest. Past, present, future: all of these I claim, with my name, and none shall triumph over it. Surrender yourself to my power, **for I AM the Mantra.**"

Edward found himself instinctively bowing, and fought with every fiber of his being to resist it. The pressure was enormous, he **needed** to surrender at his very core, but though tremendous effort and even more pain he managed to stay standing.

Gathering up what little real courage he had in him, Edward responded defiantly, "That tells me _what_ you are. And I don't give a SHIT about _what_ you are. Answer. The Fucking. Question."

Surprisingly enough, the Mantra obliged him.

As Edward heard what the Mantra had to say on the matter, he felt the hand of horror leave an indelible mark on his soul. And the laughter returned.

The laughter returned, and it was there to stay, haunting him during every waking moment for the rest of his days.

\/\/\/

2183 CE, Day 34, MSV Fedele

"So that's it?" the salarian asked nervously. "He ordered you to kill me, and you're…_not_ going to?"

"That's about the size of it. As far as I'm concerned, you're the only reason he and I ever made it this far."

Saleon was still in disbelief. "You. Alice Goff. _Not_ assassinating someone."

"What, do you _want_ me to kill you?"

"No! No, no, no ma'am - I, uh, I'm just…very surprised by your generosity, Miss Goff."

"Don't get used to it. Saleon, Dr. Heart, this ship, it's all history. Understand? Consider this your retirement package."

"Oh, yes, I understand. I'm gone, no trace. Totally dead. But, um…"

"Speak up."

"What happens…um, _if_ I slip up and-"

"IF?! What happens is that I hunt you down, murder you, and then murder every salarian in the galaxy even REMOTELY related to you! There won't be a single trace of your bloodline left. Not one!"

Saleon was terrified beyond belief, but still managed to stammer out, "A-actually, ma'am, I-I meant what would h-happen to you?"

Alice switched gears in an instant, replying as calmly as if she were discussing the weather, "Oh, that. Yeah, he'd kill me."

Once again, Saleon just couldn't suppress his curiosity.

"And you're okay with that. Him, uh, just killing you? You have no, um, hangups about that at all?"

"I owe him my life anyway. If he decides to collect, that's his prerogative."

_That is it, THE final nail in the crazy coffin: she is one thousand percent, certifiable, irreversibly insane. But, you know, whatever. Don't question this, man. Just take the win, and get the hell out of here._

\/\/\/

_THIS FLESH IS DEFIANT_

_THE MIND IS RESISTANT_

_AN INVASION HAS BEEN EXPERIENCED BEFORE_

_THIS FLESH IS STRONG_

_THE BODY IS RESILIENT_

_AN ADVANTAGE I HAVE NOT HAD IN QUITE SOME TIME_

\/\/\/


End file.
